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

Once the third quarter began, Whoriskey began to heat up. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026

The humidity will drop, bringing a refreshing start on Tuesday morning in the 50s – before temperatures quickly heat up throughout the week. —Nelly Carreño, CBS News, 8 May 2026

The haircare category is heating up. —Hikmat Mohammed, Vogue, 8 May 2026

Now, nearly two years later, the school finds itself in a terrible spot, as accusations of serious misconduct arise and an investigation by the athletic department heats up. —Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026

Rhymes for heat up

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