heatmap

noun

heat·​map ˈhēt-ˌmap 

variants or heat map

plural heatmaps or heat maps

: a visual representation (such as a map, chart, graph, or spreadsheet) that uses color value and intensity to show relative quantity or density of a measured value

a data visualization heatmap

At the company's warehouse, he pointed to a heat map display disclosing bids in real time for a wine auction that was set to close in four hours …

—Chris Casacchia

especially : such a visualization overlaid on a geographic map to correlate values with location

Employing machine learning algorithms, we bolster spatial interpolation to forecast microplastic concentrations in regions with sparse data, generating a high-resolution global heatmap of pollution.

—S. Shiny et al.

… could expand this prototype for individual player stats, court coverage heatmap, automated line calling, … etc.

—@measure_plan, on X, formerly Twitter

… a fitness company released a global heat map of users' exercise routes. In doing so, it accidentally revealed sensitive military locations …

—Christopher Ramezan

Examples of heatmap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Reading Audience Behavior Through Website Heatmaps Reviewing website heatmaps is a great way to understand an audience through their actual behavior. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Bard’s heatmap also illustrates his general reluctance, or inability in Nice’s system, to attack the area. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

To explain its results, RealorRender identifies the suspicious regions of images as heatmaps (grids of colored squares indicating intensity, as with topographical maps) and segments of contiguous image elements. — New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026

Beyond pointing to the likelihood that an image was AI-generated, TruthScan’s interface reveals heatmaps of suspicious areas. — Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above