heat up

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

However analysts see risk as the political situation heats up. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026

Take the quiz here ⦠LISTEN Tune in as Florida's race for governor heats up, with rising living costs, property taxes, insurance rates, and campaign debates taking center stage. — FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

The Arizona-Nevada-California water war is heating up, and all three states will end up parched, argues columnist Michael Hiltzik. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

But as debate heats up about what the next administration’s foreign policy should look like, Democrats and Republicans alike must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for heat up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup