heap
Americannoun
-
heaps
plural
-
a group of things placed, thrown, or lying one on another; pile.
a heap of stones.
- Synonyms:
- collection, accumulation, stack, mass
-
Informal. a great quantity or number; multitude.
a heap of people.
-
Slang. an automobile, especially a dilapidated one.
verb (used with object)
-
heaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
heaped,
past participle, past
-
heaping
present participle
-
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.
-
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)
-
heaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
heaped,
past participle, past
-
heaping
present participle
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
-
slang to try very hard
-
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.
See Examples For:
Discovery shareholders by $7 million a day, so-called ticking fees that will heap more debt onto the highly leveraged transaction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
England were made to work hard for their wickets throughout a stalling middle-over phase but eventually they ripped through the lower order with Ireland's last five wickets falling in a heap for just 10 runs.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
That promises to heap more pressure on an already strapped public — even if the full economic impact of higher energy prices might take a while to fully trickle down to the U.S. economy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 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
At the end of an alley, when my route was cut off by a heap of crates and half-rotten lumber, I climbed a ladder to the roof.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Along with heaps of data on shoppers and an increasingly sophisticated digital advertising network, they have a fleet of smaller contract factories that can make pretty much anything and are eager for the business.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
On the other side of that line stands Kiffin, boldly sticking by his plan while the rest of the college football world heaps scorn on him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
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
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
Marjory Muldauer simply stood next to the book heaps and pointed.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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
Heading there without it would have heaped further embarrassment on a man already en route to the fire exit of leadership.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
On Saturday, Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Sybiga heaped further criticism on the Russian leader.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
As the Great Leader entered the twilight of his life, ever-more-grandiose tributes were heaped on the man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
They crowded the floor; they heaped on the bed; they peeked out of the two small drawers of the nightstand.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
A few years later, she was a regular on a soap opera, channeling her darkest fears into tears that would have adults heaping praise upon her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
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
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 other Big Tech spenders may be forced to follow Alphabet’s lead in selling equity as an alternative to heaping on more debt.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
One of the sphinxes brought, in her mouth, a large stone bowl, and in it a heaping of purple, pear-shaped gourds; Gelifen made straight for them.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
