heat up

phrasal verb

heated up; heating up; heats up
1
: to become warm or hot
The morning started out cold but it heated up quickly.
2
: to become more active, intense, or angry
Their conversation started to heat up.
Competition between the two companies is heating up.
3
heat (something) up or heat up (something) : to cause (something) to become warm or hot
Could you heat up the vegetables, please?

Examples of heat up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Still, Johnson said, potential interest rate cuts could heat up the housing market even further, sending prices skyward and further threatening the stability of the sector. Max Zahn, ABC News, 11 May 2024 At 88 degrees, a car will heat up to nearly 140 in an hour. Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024 Once the filter is fully saturated, it’s heated up to about 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) to release the carbon dioxide. Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 May 2024 Atmospheric hydrogen heats up a planet — like having too many blankets on the bed in summer. Eryn Cangi, The Conversation, 6 May 2024 Similarly, the Caribbean heats up with visitors during the cold weather months, followed by spring break crowds, from December through April. Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2024 After a few days of rain and chilly temperatures, Sacramento is heating up. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 6 May 2024 The spacecraft heats up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry—about half as hot as the surface of the sun. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2024 With less than four hours to go before the live grand final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, developments on the ground in Malmö, Sweden, are heating up at a fast pace. Fred Bronson, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heat up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near heat up

Cite this Entry

“Heat up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20up. Accessed 15 May. 2024.

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