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

Temperatures will continue to heat up and come very close to some previous records listed at the bottom of the 7-day forecast. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

As this Fall’s State Duma elections approach, the domestic jockeying for power is heating up in Russia. — Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

The top four at the wide receiver position are set with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin, but the battle behind the quartet is heating up in the final days in Southern California. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026

Temperature control requires some attention, as the trailers can heat up quickly in direct sunlight and cool dramatically after dark. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for heat up

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