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

When squeezed with extreme pressure while it’s heated up, graphite transforms into a diamond. — Robin MacAluso, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026

As consumer budgets tighten, retail competition is heating up and brands need to give consumers a reason to spend by creating newness and differentiation. — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026

Is there anyone left who doesn’t know that the planet is heating up way too fast? — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026

The controversy is heating up just as the third stage resulted in the longest solo breakaway victory in the race's history. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for heat up

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