overheat

verb

over·​heat ˌō-vər-ˈhēt 

overheated; overheating; overheats

transitive verb

1

: to heat to excess

2

: to stimulate or agitate unduly

intransitive verb

: to become heated beyond a safe or desirable point

Examples of overheat in a Sentence

I overheated the food in the microwave.

Be careful not to overheat the engine.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet interestingly, the average analyst price target is about half of the current market price, indicating that even the experts believe things might be getting somewhat overheated. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Its 100 percent cotton gauze muslin fabric is breathable and airy with just enough weight to cozy up without overheating. —Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 15 June 2025

Bake in a politically fractured environment overheated by misinformation. —Samantha Dunn, Oc Register, 10 June 2025

Various items were pulled from shelves back in March, ranging from fears that teething sticks could be a choking hazard to concerns about the particular batteries in a microphone potentially overheating and igniting. —Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for overheat

• bittersweet
• celestite
• incomplete
• indiscreet
• marguerite
• obsolete
• overeat
• parakeet
• stillingfleet
• superheat
• amit
• athlete