preheat

1 of 2

verb

pre·​heat (ˌ)prē-ˈhēt 

preheated; preheating; preheats

transitive verb

: to heat (something) beforehand

especially : to heat (an oven) to a designated temperature before using for cooking

preheater noun

preheater

2 of 2

noun

pre·​heater

"+

: any of various devices for preliminary heating: such as

a

: a heat exchanger used in brewing and distilling

b

: any of various devices for using waste heat for preliminary heating in petroleum refining processes

Examples of preheat in a Sentence

Verb

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees before you put the roast in.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Heat a grill over medium-high or preheat the broiler to high. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

View Recipe Butter over and under the skin While the oven preheats, rub a whole stick of unsalted butter over the turkey and underneath the skin. — Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

But their smaller size allows the heat circulated throughout an air fryer to preheat the appliance more quickly than a convection or standard oven and even cook food in less time. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Con Edison could use this heat to preheat their billions of gallons of makeup water. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

preheat + -er

First Known Use

Verb

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preheat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

preheat

verb

pre·​heat (ˈ)prē-ˈhēt 

: to heat beforehand

preheat the oven to 400 degrees