heat pump

noun

: an apparatus for heating or cooling (such as a building) by transferring heat by mechanical means from or to an external reservoir (such as the ground, water, or outside air)

Examples of heat pump in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Whether your home runs on a boiler, furnace, heat pump, or other system, make sure the heating source is in good working order before snowfall. —Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Dec. 2025

For many homeowners in the Northeast, a heat pump alone isn’t enough. —Jessica Towhey, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025

Heating now comes from lower-emissions heat pumps, and the existing septic system has been replaced by an Innovative/Alternative (or IA) system designed to prevent excess nitrogen and other nutrients from entering the wastewater, which contributes to water-quality issues and harmful algae blooms. —Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 4 Dec. 2025

Maintaining a moderate temperature of 68 degrees at all times is the most efficient way to run a heat pump in winter. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heat pump

• bump
• chump
• clump
• crump
• dump
• gump
• hump
• jump
• lump
• plump
• rump
• slump

Kids Definition

heat pump

noun

: a device for heating or cooling a building by transferring heat contained in a fluid to or from the building