heat wave

noun

: a period of unusually hot weather

Examples of heat wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The world’s coral reef ecosystems almost all face a high risk of collapse in the next 50 years mostly due to warming oceans and heat waves, according to a global assessment released Thursday. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

More than 50,000 people are estimated to have died across Europe’s cities during the brutal heat waves that roiled the continent this summer — making this year’s heat the region’s deadliest on record, according to a new analysis. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026

That means the true death toll of a heat wave is often underreported. — Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Smoke from fires in the Sierra foothills, the North Coast and the northern Sacramento Valley often settles over Sacramento, and late-summer smoke tends to arrive during heat waves. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 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