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¹heat

verb \ˈhēt\

: to cause (something) to become warm or hot

Full Definition of HEAT

intransitive verb

: to become warm or hot

: to start to spoil from heat

transitive verb

: to make warm or hot

: excite

— heat·able \ˈhē-tə-bəl\ adjective

See heat defined for English-language learners

See heat defined for kids

Origin of HEAT

Middle English heten, from Old English hǣtan; akin to Old English hāt hot

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to HEAT

Synonyms: warm, hot (up) [chiefly Southern, southern Midland, & British], toast

Antonyms: chill, cool, refrigerate

Rhymes with HEAT

beat, beet, bleat, cheat, cleat, Crete, deet, eat, feat, fleet, Geat, gleet, greet, lied, meat, meet, mete, neat, peat, pleat, seat, sheet, skeet, sleet, street, suite, sweet, teat, treat, tweet, weet, wheat

²heat

noun

: energy that causes things to become warmer

: hot weather or temperatures

: the level of temperature that is used to cook something

Full Definition of HEAT

a (1) : a condition of being hot : warmth (2) : a marked or notable degree of hotness

b : pathological excessive bodily temperature

c : a hot place or situation

d (1) : a period of heat (2) : a single complete operation of heating; also : the quantity of material so heated

e (1) : added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that can be produced in a body (as by compression) (2) : the energy associated with the random motions of the molecules, atoms, or smaller structural units of which matter is composed

f : appearance, condition, or color of a body as indicating its temperature

a : intensity of feeling or reaction : passion

b : the height or stress of an action or condition <in the heat of battle>

c : sexual excitement especially in a female mammal; specifically : estrus

: a single continuous effort: as

a : a single round of a contest (as a race) having two or more rounds for each contestant

b : one of several preliminary contests held to eliminate less competent contenders

: pungency of flavor