heap

A pile of things gathered or thrown together, often without order.

• The clothes lay in a heap.
• He swept the leaves into heaps.
• There was a heap of sand beside the road.

How to use it: heap of something (A heap of leaves blocked the path.)

Similar words: pile, mound

Common phrases: heap of clothes, compost heap

A large amount of something.

• We had heaps of fun.
• He is in a heap of trouble.
• She has heaps of friends.

How to use it: a heap of something (You have saved me a heap of work.); heaps of something (We had heaps of fun at the party.)

Similar words: lot, loads

Common phrases: heap of trouble, heaps of money

A vehicle or place that is old, damaged, and in very poor condition.

• My car is an old heap.
• They paid too much for that rusty heap.
• Why would anyone want to live in this heap?

Similar words: wreck

Common phrases: old heap, rusty heap

A tree-shaped way of storing data, with each value larger than the values directly below it.

• The largest value is at the root of the heap.
• We inserted a new node into the heap.
• The algorithm uses heaps to organize the values.

Similar words: max heap

Common phrases: binary heap, max heap

To put things together in a high pile.

• She heaped leaves into a pile.
• He heaped his plate with vegetables.
• They were heaping snow beside the path.

How to use it: heap something on/onto something (She heaped potatoes onto his plate.); heap something with something (He heaped his plate with rice.)

Similar words: pile, stack

Common phrases: heap something up, heap a plate

To give someone a very large amount of praise, blame, attention, or something similar.

• They heaped praise on her.
• The coach heaped blame on the goalkeeper.
• Reporters were heaping attention on the new champion.

How to use it: heap something on/upon someone (The critics heaped praise on the young actor.); heap someone with something (They heaped her with honors.)

Similar words: lavish, shower

Common phrases: heap praise on someone, heap someone with praise, heap praise upon someone, heap honors on someone