# heap

/ˈhip/ (US) · /hˈiːp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/heap
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. a pile

noun · CEFR B1

a messy pile of things lying on top of each other.

For teachers: a collection of objects or material arranged in an untidy pile or mass.

- He left a heap of dirty clothes on the floor after his football practice.
- The workers cleared a massive heap of rubble from the construction site before the new foundation could be poured.

### 2. a large amount

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a lot of something, often used to describe a large quantity.

For teachers: an informal designation for a great number or large quantity of something.

- The new project has brought a heap of trouble for the management team.
- Despite the glowing reviews, the film faced a heap of criticism regarding its historical inaccuracies and pacing.

### 3. an old car

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a car or vehicle that is old, broken, and in very bad condition.

For teachers: a colloquial term for a dilapidated or unreliable vehicle or piece of machinery.

- I can't believe he still drives that old heap to work every day.
- The mechanic laughed when he saw the rusted heap I had towed into his garage for repairs.

### 4. computing memory

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a part of a computer's memory used for storing data while a program is running.

For teachers: an area of memory used for dynamic allocation, where blocks are allocated and freed in an arbitrary order.

- The application crashed because it ran out of space on the heap.
- Efficient memory management is crucial when allocating large objects on the heap to avoid fragmentation and performance bottlenecks.

### 6. to pile up

verb · CEFR B2

to put things into a large pile.

For teachers: to arrange or throw things into a heap; often used figuratively with praise or criticism.

- She heaped more wood onto the fire to keep the room warm.
- The critics proceeded to heap praise upon the young actress for her nuanced performance in the independent drama.

### 7. very much

adjective · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Dialect

a word used to mean 'very' or 'a lot', but it can be offensive to some people.

For teachers: an adverbial use meaning 'very' or 'much', often associated with stereotypical depictions of Native American speech.

- In the old movie, the character said he was heap big hungry.
- The script was criticized for its use of 'heap' as an intensifier, a linguistic trope that modern audiences find reductive and offensive.

Usage: This usage is largely confined to older literature or media and is now considered culturally insensitive.

Teaching tip: This sense is highly dated and often considered offensive; learners should avoid using it in modern conversation.

## Examples

- There is a heap of dirty clothes on the floor.
- The gardener gathered the fallen leaves into a large heap at the edge of the lawn.
- The archaeological site yielded a massive heap of pottery shards, suggesting that the area had once served as a communal dumping ground for the ancient village.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.