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

If clouds clear out, the metro could heat up to near 90, with heat index values around 100 to 104, especially south of I-70, the weather service said. — Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026

Frozen yogurt and ice cream are sweet treats enjoyed year-round, but become especially popular when the weather heats up. — Jillian Kubala, Health, 7 July 2026

With summer heating up in Sacramento, a diverse range of businesses have opened in the region. — Emma Hall july 6, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026

As the World Cup progresses, records are made, and underdogs emerge, the hunt for hard-to-find stickers heats up. — Donald Keough, Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 2026

Rhymes for heat up

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