heat

1 of 2

verb

ˈhēt

heated; heating; heats

Synonyms of heat next

intransitive verb

: to become warm or hot

water heating in a kettle

: to start to spoil from heat

transitive verb

: to make warm or hot

heat a can of soup

heat the oven to 350 degrees

: excite

were heated by his stirring words

heatable

ˈhē-tə-bəl

adjective

heat

2 of 2

noun

a(1)

: a condition of being hot : warmth

snow melting in the heat of the sun

(2)

: a marked or notable degree of hotness

The heat was intense.

: pathological excessive bodily temperature

the heat of the fever

: a hot place or situation

get out of the heat

d(1)

: a period of heat

an unbroken heat

(2)

: a single complete operation of making something warm or hot

also : the quantity of material so heated

e(1)

physics : added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that can be produced in a body (as by compression)

(2)

physics : the energy associated with the random motions of the molecules, atoms, or smaller structural units of which matter is composed

: appearance, condition, or color of something as indicating its temperature

when the rod is at the proper welding heat

: intensity of feeling or reaction : passion

answered with considerable heat

: the height or stress of an action or condition

in the heat of battle

: sexual excitement especially in a female mammal

like an animal in heat

specifically : estrus

: a single continuous effort: such as

: a single round of a contest (such as a race) having two or more rounds for each contestant

won two heats out of three

: one of several preliminary contests held to eliminate less competent contenders

won the second heat but finished third in the final race

: pungency of flavor

Add some cayenne pepper for extra heat.

a slang

(1)

: the intensification of law-enforcement activity or investigation

waited until the heat was off

(2)

: police

: pressure, coercion

turn up the heat on your congressperson

: abuse, criticism

took heat for her mistakes

baseball : smoke sense 8

throwing some heat

slang : gun sense 1b

was packing heat

heatless

ˈhēt-ləs

adjective

heatproof

ˈhēt-ˌprüf

adjective

Example Sentences

Verb I heated the vegetables in the microwave. They heat their house with a wood stove. Noun The sun's heat melted the snow. the intense heat of a fire She applied heat to the sore muscles in her leg. a period of high heat and humidity The crops were damaged by drought and extreme heat. Cook the milk over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Earlier this month, Scott vetoed legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging Vermonters to move away from using fossil fuels to heat their homes. —

Wilson Ring, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 In addition to offering handy functions like spray-cleansing and an air drying feature, many smart toilets are able to automatically flush the toilet after you're finished, as well as automatically close and open the lid, self-clean the toilet bowl after every flush and heat the toilet seat. —

Olivia Lipski, goodhousekeeping.com, 5 May 2023 The labor market heated back up last month as employers added a more-than-expected 253,000 jobs, according to fresh data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. —

From Cnn's Alicia Wallace, Krystal Hur And Bryan Mena, CNN, 5 May 2023 In the jury trial's 15 weeks, heated legal disputes, regular bickering between attorneys and plain bad luck caused extensive delays to the proceeding that was once projected to last just six weeks. —

Ella Lee, USA TODAY, 4 May 2023 The ban also extends to heating oil and propane, raising questions about the future of these fuels in New York state’s more rural communities. —

Anna Phillips, Anchorage Daily News, 3 May 2023 The rooftop infinity pool and adjacent observation deck have runway views — the planes are right there — and are both open year-round, with the water heated to 95 degrees in the winter. —

Catherine Garcia, The Week, 29 Apr. 2023 In planning the experiment, the scientists needed to find a suitable material that could be heated and cooled uniformly and quickly and that exhibited a strong Casimir effect. —

Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2023 Positioned towards the sea, the bedroom is clad in custom marble and comes with not one but two bathrooms—each of which has heated floors and a soaking tub. —

Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2023

Noun

Step 4Turn off heat; add remaining tablespoon canola oil, then eggs and cook, stirring constantly, until nearly set, 30 seconds to 1 minute. —

Joy Cho, Good Housekeeping, 16 May 2023 Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for northern portions of Alberta and portions of British Columbia, where high temperatures are forecast to reach the mid 80s. —

Jennifer Gray, CNN, 15 May 2023 Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through, stirring the soup occasionally. —

Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 May 2023 Relatively high overnight temperatures for the next several days mean homes that lack air conditioning will retain heat, preventing some residents from getting sufficient relief. —

Lisa Moreno, oregonlive, 15 May 2023 On Sunday, millions of Thais lined up in roughly 100-degree heat to cast their vote. —

Muktita Suhartono, New York Times, 14 May 2023 Climate: Scientists warn an El Niño is likely coming that could bring scorching heat to Earth. —

USA TODAY, 14 May 2023 Traeger has quickly become a top name in the grilling game thanks to its hybrid grill/smoker design that uses wood pellets as a heat source—and right now, some of our favorite Traeger grills are up to $200 off on Amazon. —

Ellen Mcalpine, menshealth.com, 13 May 2023 Some of these blooms are heat tolerant, while others can make it through the winter unscathed. —

House Beautiful, 12 May 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English heten, going back to Old English hǣtan, going back to Germanic *haitjan- (whence also Middle Dutch hēten "to make warm," Old High German heizen, Old Norse heita "to make hot, brew"), derivative of *haita- "having a high temperature, burning" — more at hot entry 1

Noun

Middle English hete, going back to Old English hǣtu, going back to Germanic *haitīn- (whence also Old Frisian hēte "high temperature, heat," Old High German heizi), noun derivative from *haita- "having a high temperature, burning" — more at hot entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler

The first known use of heat was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing heat

Cite this Entry

Style

“Heat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat. Accessed 31 May. 2023.

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Kids Definition

heat

1 of 2 verb

ˈhēt

: to make or become warm or hot

: to make excited

heat

2 of 2 noun

: a condition of being hot : warmth

: a high degree of hotness

: a hot place or period

the heat of the day

: a form of energy that causes substances to rise in temperature or to go through associated changes (as melting, evaporation, or expansion)

: strength of feeling

answered with some heat

: the height of an action or condition

the heat of battle

: estrus sense 1

: a single race in a contest made up of two or more races

heatless

ˈhēt-ləs

adjective

heatproof

-ˈprüf

adjective

Medical Definition

heat

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈhēt

: to become warm or hot

transitive verb

: to make warm or hot

heat

2 of 2 noun

: the state of a body or of matter that is perceived as opposed to cold and is characterized by elevation of temperature : a condition of being hot

especially : a marked or notable degree of this state : high temperature

b(1)

: a feverish state of the body : pathological excessive bodily temperature (as from inflammation)

knew the throbbing heat of an abscess

the heat of the fever

(2)

: a warm flushed condition of the body (as after exercise) : a sensation produced by or like that produced by contact with or approach to heated matter

c(1)

: added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that can be produced in a body (as by compression)

(2)

: the energy associated with the random motions of the molecules, atoms, or smaller structural units of which matter is composed