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 turning point came midway through the second half, when Swiss striker Breel Embolo crumpled in a heap, apparently the victim of a violent foul.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 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

Maybe keep an eye on whether Sunderland and Villa fall off massively next season if you fancy figuring out once and for all whether 'expected' data is truly insightful or a heap of hogwash.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

To his jeans in a heap on the chair.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

The run of defeats for India, coupled with two surprise losses to Ireland prior to this series, heaps pressure on Shreyas Iyer, who took over the India T20 captaincy in early June.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 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

His wife Jean died in 2009 at the age of 62, decades after she was exposed to asbestos when walking past heaps of the material resembling "the white cliffs of Dover" as a child.

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026

“I tell here there are heaps of spots in Manderley that would make very jolly pictures.”

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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

The singer also heaped praise on Billie Eilish whose single What Was I Made For?, from the soundtrack of the 2023 Barbie film, is one of the tracks covered by Weller.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

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

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

On a long table, also heaped with old books and papers, the proprietor was writing tireless prose in purple letters, somewhat outlandish, and on the loose pages of a school notebook.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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

A new diet is sweeping through President Trump’s cabinet—and it involves heaping portions of sauerkraut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 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

Nan reached over and plopped a handful of mini-marshmallows and a heaping spoon of brown sugar in my bowl when his back was turned, but I still didn’t eat a bite.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Related Words

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