to heap on

9 3.7

Give someone much more than they can handle

phrasal verb
/hip ɑn/

: cargar

As the Gilded Age wore on, these are some of the accolades those very same peers heaped on Long.
heaped praise on

Paul sites Solomon's metaphor that coals of fire are thus heaped on the enemy's head.

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Examples

Offerings of colored corn, sugar cane, poultry—products from the spring harvest—are heaped on these altars, awaiting the priest's blessing.

Academic text (1996)
The coach heaped praise on the players after their victory, celebrating their hard work.
How much abuse do you think you can heap on me before I demand my honor and satisfaction?

Fiction book (1997)
In all the pressure we heap on ourselves to accomplish, we forget to breathe.

Blog text (3)
Also note how the GOP heaped praise on Bill all election season.

Blog text (27)
On the one hand, incendiary correspondence poured in while more tempered notes heaped praise on local officials, especially the mayor.

Academic text (2007)
Conservatives like Erick Erickson defended Rubio and heaped scorn on the atheists and secularists.

Blog text (24)
During the ceremony, the community heaped accolades on the volunteers for their dedication.
After the successful presentation, the manager heaped compliments on the team for their creativity.

Synonyms

to heap

vsto heap on

19 3.7

To give a person or thing a very large amount of something

adds large quantities that tend to become a burden or excessive

to pile on

vsto heap on

3 5.2

To add too many extra things or reasons

adds many items specifically so much they create a heavy burden

to glut

vsto heap on

7.0

To fill a market with too much of a product so it becomes unwanted

gives large amounts that focus on creating burden rather than mere surplus

Antonyms

to reduce

∞ 1.6

To make something smaller in amount, size, or number

to limit

∞ 2.1

To control how much or how often something happens

How Much

to overwhelm

88 3.9

to heap on

9 3.7

to pile on

3 5.2

to add

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

heap on infinitive

heaped on past

heaped on past participle

heaping on present participle

heaps on third person singular

Morphology

heap + on

The verb 'heap' (to pile up or bestow large amounts) combined with the particle 'on' (onto a target) yields a fairly picturable sense of piling something onto someone or something, so a learner who knows both words can infer the basic meaning of giving/adding a large amount. However, the common figurative use with abstract items (e.g., 'heap on praise' or 'heap on blame') and the particle's role in forming a phrasal verb make the exact usage and nuances somewhat figurative and not wholly predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Heap on comes from the image of making a large pile: the word heap means a big pile and on shows putting that pile onto someone or something, like piling work, blame, or things until it is too heavy. So, 'to heap on' means to give a lot or to overwhelm someone.