heat

verb

\ ˈhēt

heated; heating; heats

Definition of heat

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to become warm or hot water heating in a kettle

2 : to start to spoil from heat

transitive verb

1 : to make warm or hot heat a can of soup heat the oven to 350 degrees

2 : excite were heated by his stirring words

heat

noun

Definition of heat (Entry 2 of 2)

1a(1) : a condition of being hot : warmth snow melting in the heat of the sun

(2) : a marked or notable degree of hotness The heat was intense.

b : pathological excessive bodily temperature the heat of the fever

c : a hot place or situation get out of the heat

d(1) : a period of heat an unbroken heat

(2) : a single complete operation of making something warm or hot also : the quantity of material so heated

e(1) physics : added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that can be produced in a body (as by compression)

(2) physics : the energy associated with the random motions of the molecules, atoms, or smaller structural units of which matter is composed

f : appearance, condition, or color of something as indicating its temperature when the rod is at the proper welding heat

2a : intensity of feeling or reaction : passion answered with considerable heat

b : the height or stress of an action or condition in the heat of battle

c : sexual excitement especially in a female mammal like an animal in heat specifically : estrus

3 : a single continuous effort: such as

a : a single round of a contest (such as a race) having two or more rounds for each contestant won two heats out of three

b : one of several preliminary contests held to eliminate less competent contenders won the second heat but finished third in the final race

4 : pungency of flavor Add some cayenne pepper for extra heat.

5a slang

(1) : the intensification of law-enforcement activity or investigation waited until the heat was off

(2) : police

b : pressure, coercion turn up the heat on your congressperson

c : abuse, criticism took heat for her mistakes

6 baseball : smoke sense 8 throwing some heat

7 slang : gun sense 1b was packing heat

Other Words from heat Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about heat

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Other Words from heat

Verb

heatable \ ˈhē-tə-bəl

\ adjective

Noun

heatless \ ˈhēt-ləs

\ adjective

heatproof \ ˈhēt-ˌprüf

\ adjective

Examples of heat in a Sentence

Verb

I heated the vegetables in the microwave. They heat their house with a wood stove.

Noun

The sun's heat melted the snow. the intense heat of a fire She applied heat to the sore muscles in her leg. a period of high heat and humidity The crops were damaged by drought and extreme heat. Cook the milk over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Sanders, who left the administration in June, has signed on with the right-leaning network as a contributor as the 2020 election cycle starts to heat up. — cleveland.com, "Fox News hires Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary," 22 Aug. 2019 After being spotted in Los Angeles holding hands and spending the Fourth of July together, things seemed to heat up when they were seen kissing in San Francisco. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes to Perform Their Sexy Hit 'Señorita' Together at the 2019 MTV VMAs," 21 Aug. 2019 Basically, summer may be winding down but our travel adventures are just starting to heat up! — Danielle Pointdujour, Essence, "Trending In Travel: MacBooks Get Banned, Epic Honeymoons Are In, $250 Flights To Cabo and More!," 19 Aug. 2019 But as the streaming wars continue to heat up—with what seems like a new service announced every week—a new announcement suggests that our days of widespread password sharing may be numbered. — Sangeeta Singh-kurtz, Quartz, "The days of using your ex’s streaming passwords could be numbered," 17 Aug. 2019 The Brown Deer School District has been using solar energy to heat its pool in Brown Deer Middle/High School for at least four years, according to Brown Deer communications specialist Courtney Krueger. — Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Merton Community School District joining ranks of districts using solar power to reduce energy costs," 16 Aug. 2019 Because the oceans are enormous, and because water takes much more energy to heat up than air, that translates to a temperature increase of a little more than one degree Fahrenheit, on average, over the past century. — Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, "Ocean warming, explained," 14 Aug. 2019 Though Selena has kept things low-key for most of the summer, things are starting to heat up for the star again. — Kara Nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Selena Gomez May Be Launching a Beauty Brand," 14 Aug. 2019 The tragedy unfolded at the Norella Boutique and Spa in the western Mexican city of Guadalupe, when a machine used to heat the stones caught fire. — Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News, "Woman dies during hot stone massage after heating device catches fire," 31 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The Friday hearing was the latest in a five-year legal battle over the heat in the Pack Unit, according to the Texas Tribune. — Fox News, "Judge threatens to keep Texas prison officials in hot cells over 'oppressive' conditions," 7 Sep. 2019 Preliminary results from a veterinarian exam determined the death to be heat-related. — Colleen Shalby, chicagotribune.com, "Police launch internal investigation into K-9 found dead in handler’s patrol car," 6 Sep. 2019 Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. — Tara Bench, Country Living, "Marshmallow Ghost Brownies," 6 Sep. 2019 Stir 1/2 cup sugar and the 1/4 cup of spiced water in a heavy small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. — ExpressNews.com, "Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Flan," 4 Sep. 2019 Return the pan to the stove and cook over medium-low heat, for about 1 minute. — Bonnie S. Benwick, The Denver Post, "This lighter fettuccine still delivers the cheesy, creamy goodness we crave," 4 Sep. 2019 Some had particular limbs burnt, some were scorched with excessive heat, and some, clasping their children or parents, died calmly, unable to abandon those that were dear to them. — Girish Shahane, Quartz India, "The Amazon fires have a 3,000-year-old parallel in the Indian epic Mahabharata," 30 Aug. 2019 Preliminary results from a veterinarian’s examination determined the death to have been heat-related. — Los Angeles Times, "Death of police dog in hot car sparks outrage, investigation," 29 Aug. 2019 But a greenhouse gets its light, and much of its heat, free, courtesy of the sun. — The Economist, "New ways to make vertical farming stack up," 29 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for heat

Verb

Middle English heten, going back to Old English hǣtan, going back to Germanic *haitjan- (whence also Middle Dutch hēten "to make warm," Old High German heizen, Old Norse heita "to make hot, brew"), derivative of *haita- "having a high temperature, burning" — more at hot entry 1

Noun

Middle English hete, going back to Old English hǣtu, going back to Germanic *haitīn- (whence also Old Frisian hēte "high temperature, heat," Old High German heizi), noun derivative from *haita- "having a high temperature, burning" — more at hot entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near heat

Statistics for heat

Last Updated

27 Aug 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for heat

The first known use of heat was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for heat

heat

verb

English Language Learners Definition of heat

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to cause (something) to become warm or hot

heat

noun

English Language Learners Definition of heat (Entry 2 of 2)

: energy that causes things to become warmer

: hot weather or temperatures

: the level of temperature that is used to cook something

See the full definition for heat in the English Language Learners Dictionary

heat

verb

\ ˈhēt

heated; heating

Kids Definition of heat

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to make or become warm or hot

heat

noun

Kids Definition of heat (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a condition of being hot : warmth We enjoyed the heat of the fire.

2 : hot weather heat and humidity

3 : a form of energy that causes an object to rise in temperature

4 : strength of feeling or force of action In the heat of anger, I said some cruel things.

5 : a single race in a contest that includes two or more races

heat

intransitive verb

\ ˈhēt

Medical Definition of heat

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to become warm or hot

transitive verb

: to make warm or hot

heat

noun

Medical Definition of heat (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the state of a body or of matter that is perceived as opposed to cold and is characterized by elevation of temperature : a condition of being hot especially : a marked or notable degree of this state : high temperature

b(1) : a feverish state of the body : pathological excessive bodily temperature (as from inflammation) knew the throbbing heat of an abscess the heat of the fever

(2) : a warm flushed condition of the body (as after exercise) : a sensation produced by or like that produced by contact with or approach to heated matter

c(1) : added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that can be produced in a body (as by compression)

(2) : the energy associated with the random motions of the molecules, atoms, or smaller structural units of which matter is composed