hot up

verb

hotted up; hotting up; hots up

intransitive verb

chiefly British : to increase in intensity, pace, or excitement
The air raids began to hot up about the beginning of February …George Orwell

transitive verb

chiefly British : to make (something) livelier, speedier, or more intense
"Not finishing the game off caused some tense moments but three points hots things up."Todd Williams, quoted in The Daily Telegraph (London, England)

see also hot

Examples of hot up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
As the bug business hots up, there are claims, other than going vegan, that eating insects is the only way to save the planet. Philip Lymbery, Time, 27 July 2023 The double-wall vacuum construction keeps your water cold for up to 24 hours and hot up to 12 hours. Nicole Charky-Chami, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Aug. 2022 There are some hot up-and-comers in the Q category this year, giving BBQ-lovers all around the metro a better shot at enjoying fall-off-the-bone goodness without making too big a trek. Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 25 Feb. 2022 These water bottles will keep your beverages cold up to 24 hours or hot up to 12 hours and are backed by a lifetime warranty. Caitlin Chen, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2021 If the pace is hot up front, Enforceable figures to be making a charge at the end. Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2020 According to a report in The Sun, Bristol City boss Johnson is ready to renew his interest in the 20-year-old as the Championship promotion race hots up. SI.com, 13 Oct. 2019 Bayern Munich have postponed their annual squad photo, as talk of a move to bring Leroy Sane to the Allianz Arena hots up. SI.com, 30 July 2019 Inter host Juventus at San Siro this Saturday, as the title race in Serie A hots up with Napoli breathing down Juventus' neck. SI.com, 27 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of hot up was in 1922

Dictionary Entries Near hot up

Cite this Entry

“Hot up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20up. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

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