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Glite Dictionary
to heap on

to heap on

9 3.7
Give someone much more than they can handle
  • phrasal verb
  • /hip ɑn/
translation icon : 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.