ˈpile-up BrE AmE noun [countable]
a traffic accident involving many vehicles:
a motorway pile-up
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THESAURUS
▪ accident an event in which a vehicle is damaged and often someone is hurt:
Her father died in a car accident.
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Hugh had an accident on his way to work.
▪ crash a serious accident in which a vehicle hits something else:
Rees-Jones was the only person to survive the crash.
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a car/plane/train crash
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He was killed in a plane crash.
▪ collision an accident in which two or more cars, trains etc hit each other:
His car was involved in a collision with a train.
| a head-on collision (=between vehicles that are driving towards each other) :
The actor was killed in a head-on collision while driving his new sports car.
▪ disaster a serious accident involving a train, plane, or boat, in which a lot of people are killed or injured:
It was Britain’s worst air disaster.
▪ wreck American English an accident in which a car or train is badly damaged:
Ben nearly died in a car wreck.
▪ pile-up an accident that involves several cars or trucks:
The pile-up happened in thick fog.
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There was a 12-car pile-up on the motorway.
▪ fender-bender American English informal , prang British English informal a car accident in which little damage is done:
Atkinson was involved in a fender-bender in the hotel parking lot.
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At 15, he borrowed his parents’ car and had a prang.