heat wave

noun

: a period of unusually hot weather

Examples of heat wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The cities of Phoenix and Miami have their own heat officers to oversee ways to protect people and the overall community from extreme heat as climate change leads to more frequent and enduring heat waves. Anita Snow, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 Share [Findings] The decreasing transpiration of plants, a result of rising carbon dioxide levels, was partly to blame for recent heat waves in northern latitudes. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 The Lone Star State has also experienced more extreme weather, including another major winter storm and two intense summer heat waves, without the kind of widespread system failure seen during the 2021 storm. Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2024 While scientists have more clearly tied climate change to Harvey’s extreme rain and stronger hurricanes, the marine heat wave likely has multiple causes, McNoldy said. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 Last summer saw brutal heat waves roil large parts of the country, which claimed at least 200 lives. Laura Paddison, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Dangerous heat waves will hit cities This summer’s heat waves put about one-third of the U.S. population under heat advisories. Olivia Ferrari, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024 Studies show that marine heat waves are likely to become more common as the climate keeps warming due to the burning of fossil fuels. Lauren Sommer, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024 Last August, hundreds of wildfires engulfed parts of east Texas and Louisiana amid a record-setting heat wave, prompting evacuations in Louisiana. Brian Bushard, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heat wave was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near heat wave

Cite this Entry

“Heat wave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20wave. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heat wave

noun
: a period of unusually hot weather

More from Merriam-Webster on heat wave

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