the heat
noun
: pressure to do something
The administration is putting the heat on legislators to approve the tax bill.
She's at her best when the heat is on with tight deadlines.
The company has turned up the heat on its employees to finish the job quickly.
Note: The expression if you can't stand/take the heat, get out of the kitchen means that you should not try to do a difficult job if you cannot deal with the pressure and problems that are part of the job.
Examples of the heat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile the grasses keep whispering, whispering about some mortal danger, the crickets shriek, and the heat renders your body all too present to itself.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Both experts acknowledge, as Camarda argues, that engineers cannot possibly predict exactly how the heat shield will behave.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Mold grew on serrano peppers, and chicken did not stay warm enough under the heat lamp.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
When the sun is just skimming across the horizon and ducking behind other peaks, all the heat that the sun baked into the snow and rocks during the day evaporates—fast.
—Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the heat
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Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Both experts acknowledge, as Camarda argues, that engineers cannot possibly predict exactly how the heat shield will behave.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Mold grew on serrano peppers, and chicken did not stay warm enough under the heat lamp.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
When the sun is just skimming across the horizon and ducking behind other peaks, all the heat that the sun baked into the snow and rocks during the day evaporates—fast.
—Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the heat
Cite this Entry
“The heat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20heat. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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