heat up

phrasal verb

heated up; heating up; heats up

: to become warm or hot

The morning started out cold but it heated up quickly.

: to become more active, intense, or angry

Their conversation started to heat up.

Competition between the two companies is heating up.

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 Before competition really heats up, here are some fun facts to know about gymnastics’ newest star. —

Christa Sgobba, SELF, 22 July 2024 The central black hole is black, while its surrounding gas heats up and shines to produce light. —

Fan Zou, Discover Magazine, 20 July 2024 Last year was the hottest year on record and scientists say the world is on track to heat up even more, such that some parts of the planet will become uninhabitable. —

Nik Popli, TIME, 19 July 2024 As the presidential race heated up, the operative would offer a huge donation, maybe $5 million, in return for a promise that a López Obrador government would tolerate his future trafficking activities. —

Tim Golden, ProPublica, 19 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for heat up

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