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
The machine also includes a shot timer and heats up much faster than many others.
—
Andrew Watman, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2024
China has banned exports of some rare minerals to the United States as tensions over trade heat up after the U.S. issued new restrictions on exports of certain semiconductor chips and equipment to China earlier this week.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
Sufficient to heat up or cool down an entire room, the whisper-quiet tool offers customizable purifying: Simply use the remote control to choose from 10 airflow settings.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
For the uninitiated in recreational stimulants, vaping is the inhaling of an aerosol mist from an electronic cigarette or similar device, which heats up a nicotine liquid to create a vapor that looks like smoke.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 2 Dec. 2024
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.
Andrew Watman, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2024
China has banned exports of some rare minerals to the United States as tensions over trade heat up after the U.S. issued new restrictions on exports of certain semiconductor chips and equipment to China earlier this week.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
Sufficient to heat up or cool down an entire room, the whisper-quiet tool offers customizable purifying: Simply use the remote control to choose from 10 airflow settings.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
For the uninitiated in recreational stimulants, vaping is the inhaling of an aerosol mist from an electronic cigarette or similar device, which heats up a nicotine liquid to create a vapor that looks like smoke.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for heat up
Dictionary Entries Near heat up
Cite this Entry
“Heat up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20up. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share