heap

American  

[heep] / hip /

noun

• heaps
  plural

1. a group of things placed, thrown, or lying one on another; pile.

   a heap of stones.

   Synonyms:

   collection, accumulation, stack, mass

2. Informal. a great quantity or number; multitude.

   a heap of people.

3. Slang. an automobile, especially a dilapidated one.

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verb (used with object)

• heaps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• heaped,
  past participle,  past
• heaping
  present participle

1. to gather, put, or cast in a heap; pile (often followed by up, on, together, etc.).

2. to accumulate or amass (often followed by up ortogether ).

   to heap up riches.

3. to give, assign, or bestow in great quantity; load (often followed by on orupon ).

   to heap blessings upon someone; to heap someone with work.

4. to load, supply, or fill abundantly.

   to heap a plate with food.

verb (used without object)

• heaps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• heaped,
  past participle,  past
• heaping
  present participle

1. to become heaped or piled, as sand or snow; rise in a heap or heaps (often followed byup ).

idioms

1. all of a heap,

   1. overwhelmed with astonishment; amazed.

      We were struck all of a heap upon hearing of their divorce.

   2. suddenly; abruptly;

      All of a heap the room was empty.

heap British  

/ hiːp /

noun

1. a collection of articles or mass of material gathered together in one place

2. informal a large number or quantity

3. slang to contend strenuously with an opposing sporting team

4. slang to try very hard

5. informal a place or thing that is very old, untidy, unreliable, etc

   the car was a heap

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adverb

1. (intensifier)

   he said he was feeling heaps better

verb

1. to collect or be collected into or as if into a heap or pile

   to heap up wealth

2. (tr; often foll by with, on, or upon) to load or supply (with) abundantly

   to heap with riches

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heaper
  noun
• overheap
  verb (used with object)
• heapy
  adjective
• unheaped
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heaps
  plural

Participles

• heaping
  present
• heaped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• heap
  simple
• heaps
  simple
• have heaped
  perfect
• has heaped
  perfect
• am heaping
  progressive
• are heaping
  progressive
• is heaping
  progressive
• have been heaping
  perfect progressive
• has been heaping
  perfect progressive

Past

• heaped
  simple
• had heaped
  perfect
• was heaping
  progressive
• were heaping
  progressive
• had been heaping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will heap
  simple
• will have heaped
  perfect
• will be heaping
  progressive
• will have been heaping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of heap

First recorded before 900; 1925–30 heap for def. 3; Middle English heep, Old English hēap; cognate with Dutch hoop, Old High German houf; akin to German Haufe

Explanation

A great big pile of something is a heap. Your sloppy brother might keep all of his clothes in a heap on his bedroom floor. A heap can be a literal mound of things — a heap of money in your piggy bank, or a heap of wet towels beside the pool — or it can be a figurative pile. For example, you might worry that if you're caught eating your roommate's pizza you'll be in a heap of trouble. Heap is also a verb, as when you heap compliments on your best friend. Since 1924 heap has also meant "junky old car."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heap heaps heaped heaping

That is only a fraction of the heap of self-deception we’ve been amassing these past five months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The former hospital is a heap of rubble and the uranium miner glorified on a huge Soviet mosaic has lost half his face.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Gold, silver and bitcoin are all falling to their lowest levels of the year as a strong dollar and fears of interest-rate hikes heap pressure on the “debasement trade.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Spoon-feeding this critical bit of dialogue early in the film allows Barker to heap as much violence, trauma and tropes onto Nikki’s character as possible, under the guise of thematic callbacks.

From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026

He spent the rest of the day amassing a huge heap of pebbles and rocks, going farther and farther afield to find them.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

This heaps yet more pressure on the beleaguered Fifa president Gianni Infantino, and is further evidence that the revolt against him over the FFE saga is being driven by Uefa.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The buildings collapsed into heaps, exposing thick layers of styrofoam that had been used as mortar between slabs of concrete.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Rescue teams and volunteers climbed heaps of ruins that used to be buildings as tall as 15 stories, screaming out the names of the missing.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Bumrah has only been hit for three sixes across the entire tournament and his miserly economy rate heaps pressure onto the remaining 16 overs of a match.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026

Large women in bright head scarves sat behind heaps of vegetables outside the Portuguese store.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

It was then that Tuchel may well have given the game away when he heaped praise on England's mentality but lambasted their lack of quality.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

This was certainly reinforced by the universal condemnation heaped upon then-Rep.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

On Saturday, Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Sybiga heaped further criticism on the Russian leader.

From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026

But Chinese authorities and state media have heaped bitter rhetoric against him, calling him a "troublemaker" and "warmonger".

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

The night before Magister Brangwain Spurge was shot across the Bonecruel Mountains, Werfel the Archivist, goblin historian at the Court of the Mighty Ghohg, lay in bed under heaped blankets, unable to sleep.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

Graham was, rhetorically, almost pathetically in Trump’s thrall, heaping flattery onto a president who’d once posted Graham’s phone number online for mass harassment.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

All of which is heaping pressure on professionals and entrepreneurs -- those not benefiting from the spending on the war who are "suffering the most", Kolyandr said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

Little wonder then that Musk has been heaping compliments on ASML, posting on X Saturday that “ASML should be treasured. It is arguably the greatest company in Europe.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

The respect Rousey has for Carano has also been visible throughout fight week, with the former UFC champion heaping praise on her opponent.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

When the music comes back on, waiters appear with appetizers and plate after heaping plate of mouthwatering food—biryani and kebabs and tandoori chicken and samosas.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

• bundle
• clump
• jumble
• lump
• stack
• ton