heat up

phrasal verb

heated up; heating up; heats up

: to become warm or hot

The morning started out cold but it heated up quickly.

: to become more active, intense, or angry

Their conversation started to heat up.

Competition between the two companies is heating up.

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 Lattimore was the subject of trade rumors going all the way back to last offseason, and those rumors only heated up when the Saints selected Kool-Aid McKinstry with a second-round pick. —

Jesse Reed, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 Use caution while using lawnmowers, leaf blowers, all-terrain vehicles, and other power equipment as their engines can heat up enough to ignite leaves and grass. —

Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024 More:Indiana voter guide: Congress, Statehouse, governor, AG and school board Governor's race heats up The Indiana governor's race between Braun, McCormick and Rainwater seems to be attracting the most attention in Indiana, with national money pouring in on both sides. —

Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Oct. 2024 Kurt Russell’s character MacReady is using a flamethrower to heat up a wire and then stab it into a blood sample taken from every member of the science team. —

Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for heat up

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heat up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.