heat
/hiːt
/noun [mass noun]
1The quality of being hot; high temperature: the fierce heat of the sun...
- At least my dress was not welcoming the sun's heat; on the contrary I was comfortable with a slight breeze ruffling my skirts.
- The building will also be sensitive to sun angles and heat and cold retention.
- Their accumulation in the air traps heat and raises the temperature.
Synonyms
hotness, warmth, warmness, high temperature;
fever, feverishness
rare calefaction
1.1 Physics Heat seen as a form of energy arising from the random motion of the molecules of bodies, which may be transferred by conduction, convection, or radiation.The human body usually emits heat by way of convection and radiation, and in hot weather the body has to dissipate perspiration by transpiration....
- This is because during the collision the meteor loses part of its kinetic energy as heat radiation.
- Our results show that the conductive heat transfer model and the convective plus radiative heat transfer model best represent the data measured.
1.2Hot weather conditions: the oppressive heat was making both men sweat...
- The course was as usual in superb condition but the oppressive heat drained the strength of the competitors and the scores reflected this.
- The package has had to contend with sandstorms, muddy conditions and oppressive heat.
- Also, adverse weather conditions, such as heat or rain, may compromise walking performance.
Synonyms
hot weather, hotness, warm weather, warmth, warmness, sultriness, closeness, mugginess, humidity, swelter;
heatwave, hot spell
literary dog days
rare torridness, torridity
1.3A source or level of heat for cooking: remove from the heat and beat in the butter...
- Because you are applying direct heat, skillet cooking will quickly cook vegetables and even meats such as chicken and beef.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat.
- Cooking with cheese works well when using techniques that call for low heat and slow cooking.
1.4A spicy quality in food that produces a burning sensation in the mouth: chilli peppers add taste and heat to food...
- The two sources that appear via Google both suggest it is food noisy with heat.
- The kind and amount of chili peppers you use will determine the chili's heat.
- C-fibers convey to the central nervous system sensations of noxious heat and certain inflammatory signals.
1.5 technical The amount of heat that is needed to cause a specific process or is evolved in such a process: the heat of formation...
- Heat will then be absorbed in the process and the heat of solution will be positive.
1.6 [count noun] technical A single operation of heating something, especially metal in a furnace: about 100 tons is removed in each heat...
- The weakest part of a weldment is the base metal affected by the heat of welding.
2Intensity of feeling, especially of anger or excitement: conciliation services are designed to take the heat out of disputes...
- Anger was also a product of innate heat, which excitement and emotion agitated and caused to rise to the surface from the heart.
- The red was a terrible sign, as that indicated heat, generally anger but sometimes some other kind of passion.
- I rose from my chair, and I could feel my heat was flushed with anger.
Synonyms
passion, intensity of feeling, ardour, fervour, vehemence, warmth, intensity, animation, earnestness, eagerness, enthusiasm, excitement, agitation;
anger, fury, violence
rare fervency, ardency, passionateness
2.1 (the heat) informal Intensive and unwelcome pressure or criticism, especially from the authorities: a flurry of legal proceedings turned up the heat in the dispute the heat is on...
- York City today turned up the heat on the local authority over its phased redevelopment plans for Huntington Stadium.
- Critics of the plan turned up the heat in early March as the House Democratic Caucus passed a resolution criticizing the new structure.
- There's no doubt that the federal authorities have turned up the heat throughout the financial community.
3 [count noun] A preliminary round in a race or contest: winners of the regional heats...
- Players from all but three of Britain's professional clubs will contest heats over 100 metres, followed by a final.
- The first event for the Sri Lankans was the Men's 400 metres first round heats that were scheduled to be run at 9.45 p.m. Sri Lanka time last night.
- That's 16 riders racing over 20 heats with a first-place run-off if necessary.
verb
1Make or become hot or warm: [with object]: the room faces north and is difficult to heat [no object]: the pipes expand as they heat up...
- Once the engine is warm and has heated up the radiator fluid, which in turn heats the vegetable oil, you can switch the engine to run on straight vegetable oil.
- So even if you're contemplating dining on fruit and vegetables, it's better to heat them gently until warm.
- Electromagnetic waves of radio frequency can make molecules vibrate and heat up - like microwaves heat food.
Synonyms
warm, warm up, heat up, make hot, make warm, raise something's temperature, take the chill off;
reheat, cook, boil, bake, roast, toast, stew, fry, grill
informal hot, hot up
become hot, become warm, grow hot, grow warm, become hotter, become warmer, get hotter, get warmer, increase in temperature, rise in temperature
informal hot up
1.1 [no object] (heat up) (Of a person) become excited or impassioned: he seemed to calm down as quickly as he had heated up...
- Kelsey Thu began to heat up on the field as she was shooting the ball exceptionally well early on in the game.
- As I kept hitting shots and began to heat up, the Celtics tried to mix it up a little.
- Luckily for the Spartans, he heated up just in time.
1.2 [no object] (heat up) Become more intense and exciting: the action really begins to heat up...
- Things, of course, begin to heat up when two girls move in next door.
- Meanwhile, comment and letters pages all over Quebec began to heat up with the whole gamut of opinions.
- Despite the icy cold introduction to the New Year, football fever is beginning to heat up once again.
Synonyms
become impassioned, become excited, become animated, grow passionate, grow vehement;
get angry, become enraged, get annoyed
1.3 [with object] archaic Inflame; excite: this discourse had heated them
Phrases
if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
in the heat of the moment
on (or in) heat
Origin
Old English hǣtu (noun), hǣtan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hitte (noun) and German heizen (verb), also to hot.
The words heat and hot go back to the same Germanic ancestor. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen is associated with the Democratic statesman Harry S. Truman, who was president of the USA between 1945 and 1953. When he announced his retirement in 1952 he did express the sentiment, in the form if you don't like the heat… but attributed it to one of his military advisers, Major General Harry Vaughan.