heat pump

noun

: an apparatus for heating or cooling (such as a building) by transferring heat by mechanical means from or to an external reservoir (such as the ground, water, or outside air)

Examples of heat pump in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Until just a few years ago, my wife and I didn’t have air conditioning, but smoke from wildfires combined with hot temperatures prompted us to install a heat pump with split units in our living room, bedroom and guest room to keep our home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. —Larry Magid, Mercury News, 4 June 2026

Offering a yearly $50 electric bill credit and encouraging residents to go solar and install heat pumps won’t stop the electricity crisis. —Jennifer Nassour, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026

Homeowners who live in states like New York and California can save thousands by upgrading to an energy-efficient HVAC system or heat pump. —Alora Bopray, USA Today, 4 June 2026

When a building is too hot, heat pumps suck heat from the interior air and dump it into the circulating water. —Ishan Thakore, NPR, 20 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heat pump

• bump
• chump
• clump
• crump
• dump
• gump
• hump
• jump
• lump
• plump
• rump
• slump

Kids Definition

heat pump

noun

: a device for heating or cooling a building by transferring heat contained in a fluid to or from the building