Heap — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈhēp/

Meaning & Definition of Heap

Heap (noun)

  1. a collection of things thrown one on another, pile
  2. a great number or large quantity, lot
  3. position in or level of success in society

Heap (verb)

  1. to throw or lay in a heap, pile or collect in great quantity
  2. to form or round into a heap
  3. to form a heap on, load heavily

Heap (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a considerable amount

    "she always has a heap of good ideas"

    "you're in a heap of trouble for missing curfew!"

    similar: abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload, chunk, deal, dozen, fistful, gobs, good deal, hundred, lashings (chiefly British), loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, multiplicity, myriad, oodles, pack, passel, peck, pile, plateful, plenitude, plentitude, plenty, pot, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, sheaf, shipload, sight, slew, spate, stack, store, ton, truckload, volume, wad, wealth, yard, all kinds (of), quite a bit
    related: epidemic, plague, rash, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, plethora, redundancy, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, deluge, flood, overflow, army, bevy, cram, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host, legion, mob, multitude, press, score, sea, swarm, throng, gazillion, jillion, kazillion, million, thousands, trillion, zillion
    opposite: ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, lick, little, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, peanuts, pinch, pittance, scruple, shade, shadow, smidgen, speck, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, taste, touch, trace
    near: atom, crumb, dot, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, grain, granule, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, mote, nubbin, particle, ray, scintilla, scrap, shred, tittle, whit, smatter, smattering, dash, drop, morsel, shot, piece, portion, section, absence, dearth, famine, lack, paucity, poverty, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want, deficiency, deficit, inadequacy, insufficiency, meagerness, scantiness, scantness, skimpiness

  2. a quantity of things thrown or stacked on one another

    "found her shoe under a heap of clothes on the floor"

    similar: cock, hill, mound, mountain, pile, stack
    related: bank, bar, drift, embankment, bed, layer, mow, pyramid, rick, barrow, cairn, pyre, accumulation, aggregate, array, assemblage, collection, conglomeration, gathering, grouping, hoard, huddle, jumble, knot, pileup

Heap (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to give readily and in large quantities

    "the critics heaped scorn on the wannabe blockbuster and its implausible plot"

    similar: lavish, pour, rain, shower
    related: gush, stream, flood, inundate, overflow, overwhelm, swamp, bombard, hail
    near: hold back, keep, reserve, retain, withhold

  2. to lay or throw on top of one another

    "heaped the stones in a corner of the yard"

    similar: mound, pile, stack
    related: bank, layer, pyramid, accumulate, amass, assemble, collect, concentrate, garner, gather, group, mass, bunch, clump, lump

  3. to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained

    "heaped her plate with spaghetti"

    similar: brim, charge, cram, fill, jam, jam-pack, load, pack, stuff
    related: drench, flood, glut, swamp, bloat, bulk, crowd, crush, mat, press, ram, shove, squash, squeeze, refill, refresh, reload, repack, replenish, overcharge, overfill, overflow, saturate, honeycomb, penetrate
    opposite: clear, empty, evacuate, vacate, void
    near: lighten, deplete, drain, eliminate, exhaust, bleed, draw (off), clean, flush, purge, scour, sweep

Related Entry: Scrap heap (noun)

Scrap heap is a different word from Heap. The synonyms below are for scrap heap, not for heap.

  1. as in dump

    similar: dump, detritus, remains, rubble, ruins, lumber, odds and ends, trumpery, crud, sewage, slop, swill, wash, flotsam, jetsam, wreckage, chaff, deadwood, debris, dreck, dross, dust, effluvium, garbage, junk, litter, offal, offscouring, raffle, refuse, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, spilth, trash, truck, waste, castoff, cull, discard, hand-me-down, reject, throwaway, nothing, straw, two bits
    opposite: catch, gem, goody, jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trove, valuable, booty, find, salvage

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Heap

The most common words with a similar meaning to Heap:

Chiefly British: lashings
abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload, chunk, deal, dozen, fistful, gobs, good deal, hundred, loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, multiplicity, myriad, oodles, pack, passel, peck, pile, plateful, plenitude, plentitude, plenty, pot, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Heap

Words with the opposite meaning of Heap:

ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, lick, little, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, peanuts, pinch, pittance, scruple, shade, shadow, smidgen, speck, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, taste

Related Words for Heap

epidemic, plague, rash, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, plethora, redundancy, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, deluge, flood, overflow, army, bevy, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host, legion

Near Antonyms of Heap

atom, crumb, dot, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, grain, granule, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, mote, nubbin, particle, ray, scintilla, scrap, shred, tittle, whit, smatter, smattering, dash, drop, morsel, shot, piece, portion, section

Word Forms of Heap

Inflections: heaped, heaping, heaps

Origin & Etymology of Heap

Middle English heep, from Old English hēap; akin to Old High German houf heap

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Heap

heap praises on, scrap heap, at the bottom/top of the heap, collapse/fall in a heap, compost heap, slag heap

Frequently Asked Questions about Heap

What does "Heap" mean?

"Heap" means a collection of things thrown one on another, pile. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a collection of things thrown one on another, pile. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Heap"?

Other words for "Heap" include abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle and bushel. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Heap" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Heap"?

There are 176 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Heap". Common alternatives include abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload and chunk.

What is the opposite of "Heap"?

Antonyms of "Heap" include ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful and hint. Near antonyms include atom, crumb, dot and fleck.

How do you use "Heap" in a sentence?

Examples of "Heap" in a sentence: "she always has a heap of good ideas"; "you're in a heap of trouble for missing curfew!"; "found her shoe under a heap of clothes on the floor".

Is "Heap" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Heap" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Heap"?

"Heap" is pronounced /ˈhēp/.

What is the origin of the word "Heap"?

"Heap" comes from Middle English heep, from Old English hēap; akin to Old High German houf heap. First known use: before 12th century.