overheat

verb

over·​heat ˌō-vər-ˈhēt 

overheated; overheating; overheats

transitive verb

1

: to heat to excess

2

: to stimulate or agitate unduly

intransitive verb

: to become heated beyond a safe or desirable point

Examples of overheat in a Sentence

I overheated the food in the microwave.

Be careful not to overheat the engine.

Recent Examples on the Web

The main risk is that these batteries can overheat and go into thermal runaway, a chain reaction that occurs when a lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state—resulting in extremely high temperature, smoke and, ultimately, a fire that is notoriously difficult to put out. —Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

To keep servers from overheating, many facilities rely on cooling systems that use water. —Shaolei Ren, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2025

Several manufacturers recommend against it due to the potential for overheating. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025

Lithium batteries can pose a fire hazard and are subject to overheating and creating sparks, especially if damaged. —Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for overheat

• bittersweet
• celestite
• incomplete
• indiscreet
• marguerite
• obsolete
• overeat
• parakeet
• stillingfleet
• superheat
• amit
• athlete