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

These are all markets that became overheated during the pandemic, facing a surge in demand that waned after prices shot through the roof and domestic migration to Florida slowed. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025

Connecting too many light strands can overload circuits, cause outlets and plugs to overheat and melt, or create fire hazards. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025

Memory foam is often associated with heat retention, but this particular mattress is designed for breathability with a cooling system to prevent overheating. —Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025

Hydrogen escaping the system, on the other hand, would suggest a planetary candidate that was being overheated by its sun. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Dec. 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