dogpile

plural dogpiles · alternative dog pile · alternative dog-pile

1. UScolloquialA disorderly pile of people formed by jumping upon a victim.

   The bottom man of a 'dog pile' in a fraternity house scuffle is in a hospital with a neck dislocation.

   1948 November 21, Los Angeles Times, Sect. i, p. 20

   Synonyms: pig pile, scrum, ruck, stacks on the mill, stacks on, pile-up

2. UScolloquialfigurativelyAny similarly disorderly pile of people or things.

   Unscrambling the dogpile of objects can be messy.

   1993, Christopher G. Jones, “Object-Oriented Analysis with CASE”, in Computer-aided Software Engineering, →ISBN, page 348

   1 more example

   Purdy tucked the pigskin under his elbow and cantered over a dog-pile for a tally.

   1921 November 19, The Nebraska State Journal, page 3

3. UScolloquialeuphemisticA pile of dog excrement.

   Mrs. Brown cleaned her lawn up bright and early each day; Picked up all the dog piles so her children could play.

   1950 March 6, The Tri-City Herald, page 6

   Synonyms: dogshit

4. InternetThe situation where many participants attack the same user (on a discussion forum or similar).
5. computingA cache stampede.

present singular third person dogpiles · participle present dogpiling · participle past dogpiled · past dogpiled · alternative dog pile · alternative dog-pile

1. USambitransitivecolloquialoftenTo jump into a dogpile.

   A vampire got her around the neck from behind; then more, dogpiling her.

   2003, Nancy Holder, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chosen, →ISBN, page 657

   3 more examples

   He can either take a beating from one man or... be dogpiled by a dozen men.

   c. 1947, Tamotsu Shibutani, The Derelicts of Company K, page 273

   I fumbled the snap, fell on the ball and about 10 guys dog-piled on top of me.

   1989 September 7, The Los Angeles Times, Sect. ix, p. 16

   That story — about Carlson’s conflicted response to the sight of “a group of Trump guys” dogpiling an “Antifa kid” — appears to involve a crisis of conscience, an unexpected, chastening eruption of empathy.

   2023 May 3, A. O. Scott, “Tucker Carlson’s Code of Whiteness”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Synonyms: pile up, pig pile, bundle

2. USambitransitivecolloquialfigurativelyTo pile on, to overwhelm in other senses.
3. InternetFor many participants to attack the same user (on a discussion forum or similar).

   But this guy was serious, using online payment services and dogpiling her e-mail box within minutes, requesting expedited shipping.

   2005, Craig Spector, Underground, →ISBN, page 169