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 fleece is plush without being thick, so it can be layered under jackets easily without overheating you. —Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2025

But the beloved species is becoming an increasingly rare sight in Phoenix, where rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect are threatening to overheat the saguaro. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025

But as consumer spending surged after the War, and in the early 1950s Korean War spending increased, the economy overheated. —Robert Hormats, Time, 3 Sep. 2025

In contrast to the widespread and often overheated embrace of AI in the media and in industry, a small group of influential practitioners and thinkers are raising notes of caution. —Randy Bean, Forbes.com, 2 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