superheat

1 of 2

verb

su·​per·​heat ˌsü-pər-ˈhēt 

superheated; superheating; superheats

transitive verb

1

: to heat (a vapor not in contact with its own liquid) so as to cause to remain free from suspended liquid droplets

superheated steam

2

: to heat (a liquid) above the boiling point without converting into vapor

superheater noun

superheat

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noun

su·​per·​heat ˈsü-pər-ˌhēt 

ˌsü-pər-ˈhēt

: the extra heat imparted to a vapor in superheating it from a dry and saturated condition

also : the corresponding rise of temperature

Examples of superheat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Scientists suspect that magnetic reconnection superheats the coronal plasma, and small-scale phenomena such as the jetlets or related phenomena called nano flares might play a role. —Rebecca Boyle, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2024

The use of fly ash as a feedstock eliminates the need to use limestone at all, let alone to superheat it. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

Noun

Auroras, usually between 62 and 186 miles above Earth's surface, are formed when streams of solar wind pass around the planet's magnetic field and superheat gases, which then glow in the night sky. —Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 13 Nov. 2022

Today Saudi Arabian engineers plan to build a plant with giant mirrors that concentrate sunlight and superheat water within a steel-and-glass dome more than 50 meters across. —Prachi Patel, Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1852, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

superheat

verb

su·​per·​heat

ˌsü-pər-ˈhēt

1

a

: to heat (steam) to a higher temperature than the normal boiling point of water

b

: to heat a liquid above the boiling point without converting into vapor

2

: to heat very much or excessively