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 a statement, Lively’s attorneys claim the defendants in her new lawsuit are piling on more retribution with their counter-offensive.
—
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2024
To best dispose of your Christmas tree, here are a few options:
Create a brush pile on your property to provide habitat; wildlife may use it for nesting or as a food source.
—Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024
Director and co-writer Domingo González piles on the telenovela-style twists, including mysterious figures from the past, villainous doppelgängers, and a surprise paternity reveal.
—Josh Bell, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
For Stevenson, Henderson’s death the same year the A’s left Oakland just feels like piling on.
—Melissa Lockard, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pile on 
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Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2024
To best dispose of your Christmas tree, here are a few options:
Create a brush pile on your property to provide habitat; wildlife may use it for nesting or as a food source.
—Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024
Director and co-writer Domingo González piles on the telenovela-style twists, including mysterious figures from the past, villainous doppelgängers, and a surprise paternity reveal.
—Josh Bell, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
For Stevenson, Henderson’s death the same year the A’s left Oakland just feels like piling on.
—Melissa Lockard, The Athletic, 21 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 8 Jan. 2025.
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