heap
Americannoun
-
a group of things placed, thrown, or lying one on another; pile.
a heap of stones.
- Synonyms:
- collection, accumulation, stack, mass
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Informal. a great quantity or number; multitude.
a heap of people.
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Slang. an automobile, especially a dilapidated one.
verb (used with object)
-
to gather, put, or cast in a heap; pile (often followed by up, on, together, etc.).
-
to accumulate or amass (often followed by up ortogether ).
to heap up riches.
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to give, assign, or bestow in great quantity; load (often followed by on orupon ).
to heap blessings upon someone; to heap someone with work.
-
to load, supply, or fill abundantly.
to heap a plate with food.
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
-
a collection of articles or mass of material gathered together in one place
-
informal a large number or quantity
-
slang to contend strenuously with an opposing sporting team
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slang to try very hard
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informal a place or thing that is very old, untidy, unreliable, etc
the car was a heap
adverb
verb
-
to collect or be collected into or as if into a heap or pile
to heap up wealth
-
(tr; often foll by with, on, or upon) to load or supply (with) abundantly
to heap with riches
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
heapsimple
-
heapssimple
-
have heapedperfect
-
has heapedperfect
-
am heapingprogressive
-
are heapingprogressive
-
is heapingprogressive
-
have been heapingperfect progressive
-
has been heapingperfect progressive
Past
-
heapedsimple
-
had heapedperfect
-
was heapingprogressive
-
were heapingprogressive
-
had been heapingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing heap
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And yet here we are again, with shattered hopes, a heap of questions and silence from the Scotland camp.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 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
Retail investors love Musk’s companies, and will likely be able to buy a heap of stock at the offering price of $135.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 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
Everything was just a heap of ugly, messy, black-and-gray ash.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
