Definition of "heap"

A Heap of Vassals, and Slaues: […] A People that is without Naturall Affection, […] A Nation without Morality, without Letters, Arts, or Sciences

1622 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “An Advertisement Touching an Holy VVarre. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany VVorks of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, page 104

He had plenty of friends, heaps of friends in the parliamentary sense

1858, Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman & Hall, […]

Huge heaps of slain around the body rise.

1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […]

Every break seemed dangerous and Falcao clearly had the beating of Amorebieta. Others, being forced to stretch a foot behind them to control Arda Turan's 34th-minute cross, might simply have lashed a shot on the turn; Falcao, though, twisted back on to his left foot, leaving Amorebieta in a heap, and thumped in an inevitable finish – his 12th goal in 15 European matches this season.

2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in the Guardian‎

a vast heap, both of places of scripture and quotations

1679, Gilbert Burnet, The History of the Reformation of the Church of England

I have noticed a heap of things in my life.

1878, Robert Louis Stevenson, Will o' the Mill

Chuffy: It's on a knife edge at the moment, Bertie. If he can get planning permission, old Stoker's going to take this heap off my hands in return for vast amounts of oof.

1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5

[W]e went to the play, and Pen was struck all of a heap with Miss Fotheringay … And he’s fallen in love with her—and I’m blessed if he hasn’t proposed to her […]

1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 10, in The History of Pendennis. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850

Cry a reward, to him who shall first bring News of that vanished Arabian, A full-heap’d helmet of the purest gold.

1819, John Keats, Otho the Great, act I, scene II, verses 40-42

Then, in January, a creeping tsunami of train cancellations, triggered by major staff absences as a result of the aggressive transmissibility of Omicron, heaped further misery on rail users.

2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3

We are all familiar with the stereotyped broken English which writers of Western stories, comic strips, and similar literature put into the mouths of Indians: 'me heap big chief', 'you like um fire water', and so forth.

1980, Joey Lee Dillard, Perspectives on American English, page 417

Once upon a time, a Scotsman, an Englishman, and an Irishman are captured by the Red Indians […] He approaches the Englishman, pinches the skin of his upper arm, and says, "Hmmm, heap good skin, nice and thick.

2004, John Robert Colombo, The Penguin Book of Canadian Jokes, page 175