2 N‑COUNT In former times, a pike was a weapon consisting of a pointed blade on the end of a long pole.
3 PHRASE When something comes down the pike , it happens or occurs. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ There have been threats to veto any legislation that comes down the pike.
pil|af /p I læf, [AM ] p I lɑː f/ (pilafs ) also pilaff N‑VAR Pilaf is the same as pilau .
pi|las|ter /p I lɑː stə r / (pilasters ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Pilasters are shallow decorative pillars attached to a wall.
Pi|la|tes /p I lɑː tiz/ N‑UNCOUNT Pilates is a type of exercise that is similar to yoga. □ She'd never done Pilates before.
pi|lau /piː laʊ, [AM ] p I loʊ / (pilaus ) N‑VAR Pilau or pilau rice is rice flavoured with spices, often mixed with pieces of meat or fish.
pil|chard /p I ltʃə r d/ (pilchards ) N‑COUNT Pilchards are small fish that live in the sea. Pilchards can be eaten as food. □ …tinned pilchards.
pile ◆◇◇ /pa I l/ (piles , piling , piled )
1 N‑COUNT A pile of things is a mass of them that is high in the middle and has sloping sides. □ [+ of ] …a pile of sand. □ The leaves had been swept into huge piles.
2 N‑COUNT A pile of things is a quantity of things that have been put neatly somewhere so that each thing is on top of the one below. □ [+ of ] …a pile of boxes. □ The clothes were folded in a neat pile.
3 VERB If you pile things somewhere, you put them there so that they form a pile. □ [V n adv/prep] He was piling clothes into the suitcase. □ [be V -ed adv/prep] A few newspapers and magazines were piled on a table.
4 VERB [usu passive] If something is piled with things, it is covered or filled with piles of things. □ [be V -ed + with ] Tables were piled high with local produce.
5 QUANT If you talk about a pile of something or piles of something, you mean a large amount of it. [INFORMAL ] □ …a whole pile of disasters.
6 VERB If a group of people pile into or out of a vehicle, they all get into it or out of it in a disorganized way. □ [V + into/out of ] They all piled into Jerrold's car. □ [V in/out ] A fleet of police cars suddenly arrived. Dozens of officers piled out.
7 N‑COUNT You can refer to a large impressive building as a pile , especially when it is the home of a rich important person. □ …some stately pile in the country.
8 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Piles are wooden, concrete, or metal posts which are pushed into the ground and on which buildings or bridges are built. Piles are often used in very wet areas so that the buildings do not flood. □ …settlements of wooden houses, set on piles along the shore.
9 N‑PLURAL Piles are painful swellings that can appear in the veins inside a person's anus.
10 N‑SING The pile of a carpet or of a fabric such as velvet is its soft surface. It consists of a lot of little threads standing on end. □ …the carpet's thick pile.
11 PHRASE Someone who is at the bottom of the pile is low down in society or low down in an organization. Someone who is at the top of the pile is high up in society or high up in an organization. [INFORMAL ]
▸ pile up
1 PHRASAL VERB If you pile up a quantity of things or if they pile up , they gradually form a pile. □ [V P n] Bulldozers piled up huge mounds of dirt. □ [V P ] Mail was still piling up at the office.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you pile up work, problems, or losses or if they pile up , you get more and more of them. □ [V P ] Problems were piling up at work. □ [V P n] He piled up huge debts. SYNONYMS pile NOUN 1
heap: …a heap of bricks.
stack: There were stacks of books on the bedside table and floor.
mound: The bulldozers piled up huge mounds of dirt.
pi le-up (pile-ups ) in AM, use pileup N‑COUNT A pile-up is a road accident in which a lot of vehicles crash into each other. □ …a 54-car pile-up.
pil|fer /p I lfə r / (pilfers , pilfering , pilfered ) VERB If someone pilfers , they steal things, usually small cheap things. □ [V ] Staff were pilfering behind the bar. □ [V n] When food stores close, they go to work, pilfering food for resale on the black market. ● pil|fer|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ Precautions had to be taken to prevent pilfering.
pil|grim /p I lgr I m/ (pilgrims ) N‑COUNT Pilgrims are people who make a journey to a holy place for a religious reason.
pil|grim|age /p I lgr I m I dʒ/ (pilgrimages )
1 N‑COUNT If you make a pilgrimage to a holy place, you go there for a religious reason. □ [+ to ] …the pilgrimage to Mecca.
2 N‑COUNT A pilgrimage is a journey that someone makes to a place that is very important to them. □ [+ to ] …a private pilgrimage to family graves.
pil|ing /pa I l I ŋ/ (pilings ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Pilings are wooden, concrete, or metal posts which are pushed into the ground and on which buildings or bridges are built. Pilings are often used in very wet areas so that the buildings do not flood. □ …bridges set on stone pilings.