heat wave

noun

: a period of unusually hot weather

Examples of heat wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Even as heat waves and hurricanes surged between 1998 and 2008, however, the number of Republicans who believed the effects of global warming were already happening fell by 20 percent, according to Gallup polling. Saul Elbein, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025 Last year, Europe endured its warmest summer on record, and campaigners have warned that record-breaking heat in March could fuel the conditions for harsher heat waves and wildfires over the coming months. Sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025 Then, in 2013, a mysterious disease linked to a marine heat wave began to ravage the population. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025 In February, parts of Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and the United Republic of Tanzania all saw temperatures soar during a heat wave. Simmone Shah, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heat wave

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heat wave was in 1893

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heat wave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20wave. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

heat wave

noun
: a period of unusually hot weather

More from Merriam-Webster on heat wave

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