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

Nevertheless, the race for underwater critical minerals may soon heat up. — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

Transfer your dish soap into a spray bottle, then heat up your vinegar in the microwave for about 30 seconds before adding it to the spray bottle. — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 29 Sep. 2026

During reentry, strong shock waves form and heat up the surrounding atmosphere. — Sven Bilén, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026

The season may have changed from summer to fall, but Megan Thee Stallion is still heating up. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for heat up

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