heat wave

noun

: a period of unusually hot weather

Examples of heat wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Large parts of western Europe will be sweltering once again on Thursday, with Britain poised for its fifth heat wave of an exceptional summer that is expected to be the hottest on record. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

More destructive than other disasters The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines heat waves as periods of unusually hot weather, typically lasting two or more days, during which temperatures exceed local historical averages. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

The searing heat wave across Europe has driven the union to call for museums to close when temperatures reach 86 degrees Fahrenheit and to institute heat mitigation measures for back-of-house staff. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 13 Aug. 2026

These factors make its impacts somewhat of a wild card, experts say, with the effects of global warming acting in concert with El Niño to heighten the severity of heat waves and other disasters. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heat wave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• enslave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave

Kids Definition

heat wave

noun

: a period of unusually hot weather