heat up
phrasal verb
heated up; heating up; heats up
1
: to become warm or hot
The morning started out cold but it heated up quickly.
2
: to become more active, intense, or angry
Their conversation started to heat up.
Competition between the two companies is heating up.
3
heat (something) up
or heat up (something)
: to cause (something) to become warm or hot
Could you heat up the vegetables, please?
Examples of heat up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An unfavorable past Amid the AI race heating up, the United States has banned China from using its most advanced AI products, including NVIDIA’s H100 and H200 chips.
—
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
The widening spending inequality is happening at a time when the US economy is slowing, inflation is heating up and the job market is getting shakier.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
His comments come as speculation about Paramount Skydance’s interest in WBD heats up.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
The postseason race is heating up and there are plenty of opportunities for bettors to cash in on the games before the postseason arrives.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heat up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
The widening spending inequality is happening at a time when the US economy is slowing, inflation is heating up and the job market is getting shakier.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
His comments come as speculation about Paramount Skydance’s interest in WBD heats up.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
The postseason race is heating up and there are plenty of opportunities for bettors to cash in on the games before the postseason arrives.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heat up
Cite this Entry
“Heat up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20up. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share