heat

SayHEET/hit/UK/hiːt/

Pluralheats (some meanings)

Verbheats, heating, heated

22 meanings of heat

Practice

1
high temperaturenoununcountable
The property of being hot, or the state of having a high temperature.
The heat of the midday sun drove everyone indoors.
She tested the heat of the bathwater with her elbow before lowering the baby in.
UsageOften the heat of something: the heat of the sun, the heat of the fire.
Similarwarmth, hotness
Oppositecold, coldness, coolness, chill
2
energy (physics)noununcountable
Thermal energy, the energy associated with the temperature and motion of particles in matter.
Heat flows from the warm radiator into the cold room.
Good insulation slows the loss of heat through the walls.
Similarwarmth
Note
Physics keeps it apart from temperature. If you add equal amounts of heat to equal masses of iron and aluminum, their temperatures change differently. Heat is the energy that moves, temperature is how hot something is, and engineers count heat in units, as in a furnace that puts out 5000 BTUs.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
Physics distinguishes heat, an energy transfer, from temperature. openstax.org
Equal heat inputs into equal masses of iron and aluminum produce different temperature changes under comparable ordinary conditions, because their specific heat capacities differ. ch301.cm.utexas.edu
Heat involves energy moving between bodies; temperature expresses hotness. openstax.org
BTUs measure amounts of heat energy; 5000 BTUs is a possible illustrative amount released by a furnace. eia.gov
3
raise temperatureverbtransitive
To make something hot or warmer, or to become hot or warmer.
They heat the old building with a single gas furnace.
She heated the milk until it began to steam.
UsageOften heat up: heat up the water or heat the water up. With it, say heat it up.
Similarwarm
Oppositecool, chill
4
hot spellnouncountable
A period of very hot weather.
The heat that settled over the city in July broke records and kept people indoors for days.
The region suffered through record heat last August, with temperatures above 40 degrees.
UsageUsually the heat or this heat: in this heat. For one spell of hot weather, heat wave is more common.
Similarheatwave
5
warming systemnoununcountable
The heating system of a room or building, or the warmth it produces.
The landlord finally fixed the heat last week.
Our old building's heat runs on a gas boiler.
UsageUsually the heat: turn the heat up or down.
6
qualifying racenouncountable
A preliminary round of a race or other competition, whose winners go on to a later round or final.
He clocked the fastest time in the opening heat.
The swimmers were sorted into four separate heats.
UsageOften in a heat: the fastest time in the opening heat.
Similarround, qualifier
7
verbfigurativelytransitive
To make someone hot, flushed, or excited, or to stir up strong feelings or passion in them.
The wine and the music had heated the crowd, and soon everyone was shouting and singing.
Strong emotion can heat the face in an instant.
Similarexcite, inflame, stir, rouse, flush
Oppositecalm, cool
8
spicy tastenoununcountable
The burning sensation in the mouth caused by a spice.
The curry had a slow heat that built with every bite.
Cooks balance the heat of chilies with something sweet.
Similarspiciness, fire, burn, pungency
Oppositemildness
9
peak momentnoununcountable
A period of intensity, especially of emotion.
In the heat of the final debate, both candidates lost their composure.
Promises made in the heat of passion rarely survive the morning.
UsageMostly in in the heat of something: in the heat of the moment.
Similarpassion, vehemence
Oppositecalm

Less common meanings

10
pressurenoununcountable
An unwelcome amount of attention or pressure.
The CEO took the heat for the failed project.
Public anger brought serious heat onto the police chief.
UsageOften take the heat for something or feel the heat; you can put the heat on someone.
Similarpressure, criticism, flak, blame
11
ready to matenoununcountable
A period during which a female mammal is sexually receptive and especially fertile, and therefore eager to mate.
The mare came into heat earlier than the breeder expected.
Farmers separate cows in heat to control breeding.
UsageUsually in heat, with be or come into: a mare in heat.
Similarrut
Note
Estrus is the technical term, while rut names the mating season as seen in males, and two later uses grow from this one: the omegaverse cycle and human arousal.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Estrus is the technical term for the female reproductive state described. porkgateway.iastate.edu
Rut describes the corresponding mating period in males. en.wikipedia.org
12
sexual desirenounslangendearingcountable or uncountable
Sexual arousal in a person, likened to that of a mammal ready to mate.
The heat between the two lovers was obvious to everyone in the room.
He could barely think through the heat of his desire.
UsageFor an explicit, neutral term, use sexual arousal or sexual desire.
Similarrut
13
fast pitchnouncountable
A fastball, especially one thrown at high velocity.
The closer reared back and threw pure heat past the batter.
Scouts loved the rookie's heat, clocked in the upper nineties.
UsageCommon phrases include throw heat and bring the heat.
Similarfastball, gas, smoke
14
policenounslanguncountable
The police, especially in the slang of criminals and the underworld.
The dealers cleared the corner the moment the heat rolled by.
He warned his crew that the heat had been asking questions.
UsageUsed with the: the heat showed up, draw the heat.
Similarpolice, cops, law, fuzz
Note
Stephen Stills used it for the police in "For What It's Worth" in 1966, in a line about officers having a fine time of it. Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy's "Hurricane" (1975) warns that simply being black on the street can bring the heat down on a man. It names the police as a pressure rather than as people, and it stays firmly informal.
15
gunnounslanguncountable
Firearms, especially a gun carried on one's person.
Word on the street was that he started packing heat after the threats.
Nobody in that crew moved without heat.
UsageTakes no a: carry heat, pack heat.
Similargun, piece, iron, firearm
Note
Outsiders can miss it. In Brian Groh's Summer People (2007), one character has to spell it out: "A burner, man, a gun." John Sayles's novel Pride of the Bimbos states a rule of the trade: never show heat unless you plan to use it.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Brian Groh wrote Summer People. briangroh.com
A character explains heat with the quoted words. en.wiktionary.org
16
crowd booingnounslangcountable or uncountable
A negative reaction from an audience, especially the booing directed at a villainous wrestler, or hostility from a crowd in general.
The new heel generated real heat with every dirty move.
As soon as the masked villain walked out, he drew so much heat that the boos drowned out his music.
UsageCommon phrases are draw heat and generate heat, often followed by from the crowd.
Similarhostility, booing, scorn
Oppositecheering
Note
Wrestling turns unwelcome attention on its head. For a heel, the booing crowd is the point, so heat is the measure of a villain doing the job well and moving a storyline along. The word is also used of any hostile audience reaction.
17
turn onverbslangtransitive
To sexually arouse or excite someone.
The couple's slow, close dancing heated them both up, and they left the party early.
After weeks apart, just hearing his voice on the phone was enough to heat her up.
UsageOften heat someone up. In neutral writing, say arouse or excite.
Similararouse, excite
18
forging roundnouncountable
A single cycle of bringing metal to its maximum working temperature and shaping it until it cools too much to be worked further.
The smith finished the hook in one heat at the forge.
Drawing out the long taper took three separate heats.
Note
A smith's unit of work: one trip to the fire and as much shaping as the cooling metal allows. A skilled smith boasts of making a scroll "in a single heat," and the Crewe Works smiths remembered in 1945 were entertaining "between heats."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The recollection of the Crewe Works smiths was published in 1945. en.wiktionary.org
The recollection describes the smiths as entertaining between heats. en.wiktionary.org
19
SayHET/hɛt/
verbobsolete
Simple past and past participle of heat.
HEAT, for heated, is in popular use and pronounced het; but it is not elegant.
[1828, Noah Webster, “Heat”
The Iron of it ſelfe, though heate red hot, / Approaching neere theſe eyes, would drinke my teares, / And quench this fierie indignation, / Euen in the matter of mine innocence.
c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”
Note
An old irregular past spelled like the present: heat for heated, as in Shakespeare's King John, where iron is "heate red hot." It probably arose by analogy with beat, whose past was once bet, and in speech it was said het. Noah Webster in 1828 found it "in popular use" but "not elegant."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
Heat was an old past form used for heated. upload.wikimedia.org
Shakespeare's King John contains this expression, spoken by Arthur in Act IV, scene i; the First Folio spelling is heate. gutenberg.org
Analogy with beat, whose Middle English past was bet, is a proposed explanation of the form. en.wiktionary.org
In 1828 Noah Webster described heat for heated as pronounced het and used the exact phrases in popular use and not elegant. en.wiktionary.org
20
nounslang
Stylish, highly sought-after sneakers, prized for their look and resale value.
21
nounarchaic
A single, sustained burst of vigorous effort carried out without pause.
22
nounslang
In omegaverse fiction, a recurring period during which omega characters feel an intense, sometimes irresistible biological urge to mate.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of heat apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2, 4–6, 8–16, 18

From Middle English hete, from Old English hǣtu, going back through Proto-Germanic *haitį̄ ("heat") to Proto-Indo-European *keHy- ("heat; hot"). It is related to Dutch hitte, German Hitze, and Swedish hetta.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Heat descends from Middle English hete and Old English hǣtu, ultimately through Proto-Germanic *haitį̄. en.wiktionary.org
The ultimate reconstructed root is Proto-Indo-European *keHy-, meaning heat or become hot. en.wiktionary.org
Heat is related to Dutch hitte and German Hitze. en.wiktionary.org
Heat is related to Swedish hetta. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 3, 7, 17

Proto-Germanic *haitijaną, meaning "to heat, make hot," gave Old English hǣtan, meaning "to heat" or "become hot," and that became Middle English heten.

Meaning 19

There are two possible explanations. It may be another spelling of het ("heated"), carrying on late Middle English heet, het, a simple past of heten made by analogy with bet (the past of beten). Or it may have been formed later by analogy with the past forms of beat.