heated; heating; heats
1
: to become warm or hot
water heating in a kettle
2
: to start to spoil from heat
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
1
a(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
2
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.
5
6
baseball
: smoke sense 8
throwing some heat
7
slang
: gun sense 1b
was packing heat
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
Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 July 2025
That solar energy flows into space in all directions around the sun, and a tiny fraction (about half a billionth) of it is intercepted by Earth, heating our planet.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 3 July 2025
Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
How extreme heat affects young kids Babies and children under age 6 are more vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heatstroke than most adults.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heat
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Fueled by wood pellets, originally designed as a more efficient way to heat wood-burning stoves, pellet grills use a combination of augers, fans, and thermostats to regulate the internal temperature and provide a cooking experience that asks very little of you.
—Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 July 2025
That solar energy flows into space in all directions around the sun, and a tiny fraction (about half a billionth) of it is intercepted by Earth, heating our planet.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 3 July 2025
Noun
Many of these were camping close to the banks of the Guadalupe River, a beautiful river that people escape from summer’s heat by floating on rafts or inflatable tubes.
—Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
How extreme heat affects young kids Babies and children under age 6 are more vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heatstroke than most adults.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for heat
Cite this Entry
“Heat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
heat
1 of 2 verb1
: to make or become warm or hot
2
: to make excited
heat
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a condition of being hot : warmth
b
: a high degree of hotness
c
: a hot place or period
the heat of the day
d
: a form of energy that causes substances to rise in temperature or to go through associated changes (as melting, evaporation, or expansion)
2
a
: strength of feeling
answered with some heat
b
: the height of an action or condition
the heat of battle
c
3
: a single race in a contest made up of two or more races
Medical Definition
heat
2 of 2 noun1
a
: 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
2
: sexual excitement especially in a female mammal
specifically
: estrus
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