Heat — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈhēt/

Meaning & Definition of Heat

Heat (verb)

  1. to become warm or hot
  2. to start to spoil from heat
  3. to make warm or hot

Heat (noun)

  1. a condition of being hot, warmth
  2. a marked or notable degree of hotness
  3. pathological excessive bodily temperature

Heat (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. depth of feeling

    "informed the doctor, with considerable heat, that she had been kept waiting for three hours"

    similar: ardency, ardor, emotion, enthusiasm, fervency, fervidness, fervor, fire, intenseness, intensity, passion, passionateness, vehemence, violence, warmth, white heat
    related: cathexis, emotionalism, emotionality, histrionics, mawkishness, melodrama, sappiness, sentimentality, eagerness, earnestness, excitement, gusto, keenness, zest, fanaticism, fever, hot-bloodedness, infatuation, mania, obsession, zeal, compassion, responsiveness, sentiment, sympathy, tenderness, torridity, torridness
    opposite: impassiveness, impassivity, insensibility, insensibleness, insensitiveness, insensitivity
    near: aloofness, calmness, collectedness, composure, detachedness, dryness, phlegm, reserve, reservedness, reticence, taciturnity, apathy, indifference, stoicism, stoniness, unconcern, stiffness, woodenness, chilliness, coldness, coolness, frigidity, frigidness

  2. a portable weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder

    "a private detective packing heat"

    similar: arm, firearm, gun, piece, small arm
    related: derringer, forty-five, gat (slang), handgun, pistol, revolver, rod (slang), roscoe (slang), sidearm, six-gun, six-shooter, zip gun, self-loader, semiautomatic, blunderbuss, breechloader, culverin, fieldpiece, firelock, flintlock, harquebus, matchlock, musket, rifle, shotgun, smoothbore, twenty-two, AK-47, assault rifle, assault weapon, automatic, carbine, machine gun, machine pistol, repeater, submachine gun, tommy gun, speargun

  3. a body of officers of the law

    "he thought he was so slick, but the heat was onto him in no time"

    similar: constabulary, finest, force, fuzz, man, police, police force
    related: bluecoat, bobby (British), bull (slang), constable, cop, copper, gendarme, officer, peeler (British), policeman, police officer, policewoman, shamus (slang), trooper

Heat (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause to have or give off heat to a moderate degree

    "heat water for tea"

    "heat the oven to 350 degrees before you put the cake in"

    similar: hot (up) (chiefly Southern, southern Midland, & British), toast, warm
    related: overheat, superheat, reheat, rewarm, thaw, bake, cook, roast, burn, char, fire, parch, scald, scorch, sear
    opposite: chill, cool, refrigerate
    near: freeze, frost, ice, supercool

Related Entry: Heat wave (noun)

Heat wave is a different word from Heat. The synonyms below are for heat wave, not for heat.

  1. as in heat

    similar: heat, dog days, torridity, torridness
    opposite: cold, cold wave, deep freeze, freeze, snap, cold front, frost

Related Entry: Heat-treat (verb)

Heat-treat is a different word from Heat. The synonyms below are for heat-treat, not for heat.

  1. as in temper

    similar: temper, bake, boil, broil, steam, microwave, heat, toast, warm
    opposite: chill, cool, refrigerate, air-condition, freeze, frost, ice, quick-freeze, supercool

Related Entry: Heat-treated (verb)

Heat-treated is a different word from Heat. The synonyms below are for heat-treated, not for heat.

  1. as in tempered

    similar: tempered, baked, boiled, broiled, steamed, microwaved, heated, toasted, warmed
    opposite: chilled, cooled, refrigerated, air-conditioned, frosted, froze, iced, quick-froze, supercooled

Related Entry: Heat-treating (verb)

Heat-treating is a different word from Heat. The synonyms below are for heat-treating, not for heat.

  1. as in tempering

    similar: tempering, baking, boiling, broiling, steaming, microwaving, heating, toasting, warming
    opposite: chilling, cooling, refrigerating, air-conditioning, freezing, frosting, icing, quick-freezing, supercooling

Related Entry: Heat-treats (verb)

Heat-treats is a different word from Heat. The synonyms below are for heat-treats, not for heat.

  1. as in tempers

    similar: tempers, bakes, boils, broils, steams, microwaves, heats, toasts, warms
    opposite: chills, cools, refrigerates, air-conditions, freezes, frosts, ices, quick-freezes, supercools

Related Entry: Dead heat (noun)

Dead heat is a different word from Heat. The synonyms below are for dead heat, not for heat.

  1. a situation in which neither participant in a contest, competition, or struggle comes out ahead of the other

    "the horses crossed the finish line in a dead heat"

    similar: draw, stalemate, standoff, tie
    related: deadlock, impasse, seesaw, photo finish, horse race, toss-up

Related Entry: White heat (noun)

White heat is a different word from Heat. The synonyms below are for white heat, not for heat.

  1. depth of feeling

    "claims that the novel was written at white heat in a tremendous, unbroken burst of creativity"

    similar: ardency, ardor, emotion, enthusiasm, fervency, fervidness, fervor, fire, heat, intenseness, intensity, passion, passionateness, vehemence, violence, warmth
    related: cathexis, emotionalism, emotionality, histrionics, mawkishness, melodrama, sappiness, sentimentality, eagerness, earnestness, excitement, gusto, keenness, zest, fanaticism, fever, hot-bloodedness, infatuation, mania, obsession, zeal, compassion, responsiveness, sentiment, sympathy, tenderness, torridity, torridness
    opposite: impassiveness, impassivity, insensibility, insensibleness, insensitiveness, insensitivity
    near: aloofness, calmness, collectedness, composure, detachedness, dryness, phlegm, reserve, reservedness, reticence, taciturnity, apathy, indifference, stoicism, stoniness, unconcern, stiffness, woodenness, chilliness, coldness, coolness, frigidity, frigidness

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Heat

The most common words with a similar meaning to Heat:

Chiefly Southern, southern Midland, & British: hot (up)
ardency, ardor, emotion, enthusiasm, fervency, fervidness, fervor, fire, intenseness, intensity, passion, passionateness, vehemence, violence, warmth, white heat, arm, firearm, gun, piece, small arm, constabulary, finest, force, fuzz, man, police, police force, toast, warm

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Heat

Words with the opposite meaning of Heat:

impassiveness, impassivity, insensibility, insensibleness, insensitiveness, insensitivity, chill, cool, refrigerate

Related Words for Heat

cathexis, emotionalism, emotionality, histrionics, mawkishness, melodrama, sappiness, sentimentality, eagerness, earnestness, excitement, gusto, keenness, zest, fanaticism, fever, hot-bloodedness, infatuation, mania, obsession, zeal, compassion, responsiveness, sentiment, sympathy, tenderness, torridity, torridness, derringer, forty-five

Near Antonyms of Heat

aloofness, calmness, collectedness, composure, detachedness, dryness, phlegm, reserve, reservedness, reticence, taciturnity, apathy, indifference, stoicism, stoniness, unconcern, stiffness, woodenness, chilliness, coldness, coolness, frigidity, frigidness, freeze, frost, ice, supercool

Word Forms of Heat

Inflections: heated, heating, heats

Derived words: heatable (adjective), heatless (adjective), heatproof (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Heat

Middle English heten, going back to Old English hǣtan, going back to Germanic *haitjan- (whence also Middle Dutch hēten "to make warm," Old High German heizen, Old Norse heita "to make hot, brew"), derivative of *haita- "having a high temperature, burning" hot:1

First known use: before 12th centuryi

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Heat

Words & Phrases Containing Heat

heat cramps, heat dome, heat engine, heat exchanger, heat exhaustion, heat index, heat island, heat lightning

Frequently Asked Questions about Heat

What does "Heat" mean?

"Heat" means to become warm or hot. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to become warm or hot. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Heat"?

Other words for "Heat" include ardency, ardor, emotion, enthusiasm, fervency, fervidness, fervor and fire. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Heat" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Heat"?

There are 125 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Heat". Common alternatives include ardency, ardor, emotion, enthusiasm, fervency, fervidness, fervor, fire, intenseness and intensity.

What is the opposite of "Heat"?

Antonyms of "Heat" include impassiveness, impassivity, insensibility, insensibleness, insensitiveness, insensitivity, chill and cool. Near antonyms include aloofness, calmness, collectedness and composure.

How do you use "Heat" in a sentence?

Examples of "Heat" in a sentence: "informed the doctor, with considerable heat, that she had been kept waiting for three hours"; "a private detective packing heat"; "he thought he was so slick, but the heat was onto him in no time".

Is "Heat" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Heat" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Heat" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Heat" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Heat"?

"Heat" is pronounced /ˈhēt/.