pile on
phrasal verb
piled on; piling on; piles on
US, informal
: to join other people in criticizing something or someone in usually an unfair way
After the first few negative reviews, all the other critics started piling on.
Examples of pile on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to receiving the most Golden Globes nominations for a film, the singing and dancing showcase has quickly become an Oscars front-runner, thanks in large part to the honors being piled on leading lady Karla Sofía Gascón.
—
Elaina Patton, NBC News, 26 Dec. 2024
The post caught the eye of Elon Musk, who piled on with calls to kill the entire bill.
—Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024
As bad news piled on bad news, something drastic needed to be done.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
But stirring moments become forgettable treacle when piled on top of one another.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pile on 
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Elaina Patton, NBC News, 26 Dec. 2024
The post caught the eye of Elon Musk, who piled on with calls to kill the entire bill.
—Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024
As bad news piled on bad news, something drastic needed to be done.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
But stirring moments become forgettable treacle when piled on top of one another.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pile on
Dictionary Entries Near pile on
Cite this Entry
“Pile on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pile%20on. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
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