piles
Definition
Noun 1. A large number or amount; a great quantity. This sense is informal and often used in plural form to emphasize abundance. 2. (Medical) Hemorrhoids; pain and swelling caused by enlarged veins at or inside the anal sphincter. This is the primary medical meaning, almost always used in plural form.
Usage and Examples
- Noun (Large Amount):
- I have piles of work to finish before the deadline.
- She sorted through piles of old photographs.
- Noun (Medical Condition):
- The doctor diagnosed him with piles and recommended a change in diet.
- Pregnancy can sometimes lead to piles.
Advanced Usage
- The informal sense ("a large amount") is often used with the preposition "of" (piles of something).
- The medical term is typically used with verbs like , , , or .
Variants and Related Words
- Pile (noun): A single heap or stack of things placed one on top of another. (e.g., ).
- Pile (verb): To place things one on top of another in a stack. (e.g., ).
- Hemorrhoids (noun): The formal medical synonym for the condition.
Synonyms
- For "a large amount": heaps, stacks, loads, tons, masses, lots.
- For the medical condition: hemorrhoids.
Related Phrases
- Piles of [something]: An informal phrase indicating a very large quantity.
- He has piles of money.
- To suffer from piles: A common collocation for the medical condition.
- My grandfather suffers from piles.
Noun
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a large number or amount
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made lots of new friends
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she amassed stacks of newspapers
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pain caused by venous swelling at or inside the anal sphincter
