heat
Other forms: heated; heating; heats
Objects that give off heat — or a feeling of warmth — include the sun, a radiator, and even your body. You can feel a marked difference in air temperature if you hold your hand near the heat of a candle flame, for example.
Heat can also mean the intensity of an emotion. In the heat of an argument, you need to watch what you say, because you may regret it later. The verb heat means to make something hot, like when you heat up last night's pizza to eat for lunch today. When things heat up, they become exciting or intense, the way thrilling chase scenes heat up your favorite action movie.
Definitions of heat
-
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
-
synonyms:
heat energy
-
types:
- show 11 types...
- hide 11 types...
-
geothermal energy
energy derived from the heat in the interior of the earth
-
heat of dissociation
the heat required for a fluid substance to break up into simpler constituents
-
heat of formation
the heat evolved or absorbed during the formation of one mole of a substance from its component elements
-
heat of solution
the heat evolved or absorbed when one mole of a substance is dissolved in a large volume of a solvent
-
heat of transformation, latent heat
heat absorbed or radiated during a change of phase at a constant temperature and pressure
-
specific heat
the heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree centigrade
-
heat of condensation
heat liberated by a unit mass of gas at its boiling point as it condenses into a liquid
-
heat of fusion
heat absorbed by a unit mass of a solid at its melting point in order to convert the solid into a liquid at the same temperature
-
heat of solidification
heat liberated by a unit mass of liquid at its freezing point when it solidifies
-
heat of sublimation
heat absorbed by a unit mass of material when it changes from a solid to a gaseous state
-
heat of vaporisation, heat of vaporization
heat absorbed by a unit mass of a material at its boiling point in order to convert the material into a gas at the same temperature
-
type of:
-
energy, free energy
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
-
the sensation caused by heat energy
-
synonyms:
warmth
-
type of:
-
temperature
the somatic sensation of cold or heat
-
temperature
-
the presence of heat
-
synonyms:
high temperature, hotness
-
Antonyms:
-
cold, coldness, frigidity, frigidness, low temperature
the absence of heat
-
types:
- show 6 types...
- hide 6 types...
-
calefaction, incalescence
the property of being warming
-
fieriness, red heat
the heat or the color of fire
-
torridity
extreme heat
-
warmness, warmth
the quality of having a moderate degree of heat
-
white heat
the hotness of something heated until it turns white
-
lukewarmness, tepidity, tepidness
a warmness resembling the temperature of the skin
-
type of:
-
temperature
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
-
cold, coldness, frigidity, frigidness, low temperature
-
utility to warm a building
-
synonyms:
heating, heating plant, heating system
-
types:
- show 4 types...
- hide 4 types...
-
central heating
a heating system in which air or water is heated at a central furnace and sent through the building via vents or pipes and radiators
-
gas heat
heating system that burns natural gas
-
panel heating
heating system consisting of wall or floor or baseboard or ceiling panels containing electric conductors or heating pipes
-
steam heat, steam heating
a heating system in which steam is generated in boilers and piped to radiators
-
type of:
-
utility
a facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal
-
make hot or hotter“the sun heats the oceans”“heat the water on the stove”
-
synonyms:
heat up
-
types:
- show 10 types...
- hide 10 types...
-
crisp, crispen, toast
make brown and crisp by heating
-
scald
heat to the boiling point
-
soak
heat a metal prior to working it
-
calcine
heat a substance so that it oxidizes or reduces
-
preheat
heat beforehand
-
overheat
make excessively or undesirably hot
-
scorch, sear
make very hot and dry
-
bake, broil
heat by a natural force
-
reheat
heat again
-
sizzle
burn or sear with a sizzling sound
-
provide with heat“heat the house”
-
types:
-
steam-heat
heat by means of steam
-
steam-heat
-
gain heat or get hot
-
the trait of being intensely emotional
-
types:
-
fieriness
a passionate and quick-tempered nature
-
type of:
-
emotionalism, emotionality
emotional nature or quality
-
fieriness
-
applies to nonhuman mammals: a state or period of heightened sexual arousal and activity
-
Antonyms:
-
anestrum, anestrus, anoestrum, anoestrus
applies to nonhuman mammals: a state or interval of sexual inactivity between two periods of estrus
-
type of:
-
physical condition, physiological condition, physiological state
the condition or state of the body or bodily functions
-
anestrum, anestrus, anoestrum, anoestrus
-
arouse or excite feelings and passions
-
a preliminary race in which the winner advances to a more important race
-
type of:
-
race
a contest of speed
-
race
Pronunciation
US
/hit/
UK
/hit/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
A paragraph of text
Copy citationDISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘heat'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up heat for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
