- [uncountable, singular] the quality of being hot
- Heat rises.
- He could feel the heat of the sun on his back.
- Computers generate heat of their own.
- The fire gave out a fierce heat.
Extra Examples- Products which may be damaged by heat are stored in a separate area.
- Heat flooded her cheeks.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- burning
- fierce
- great
- …
- feel
- disperse
- dissipate
- …
- build up
- increase
- come from something
- …
- loss
- exhaustion
- stress
- …
- heat from
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [uncountable] (physics) heat seen as a form of energy that is transferred from one object or substance to another as a result of a difference in temperature
- Being a metal, aluminium readily conducts heat.
- Darker surfaces absorb heat.
- Combustion reactions give out heat.
- [uncountable, countable, usually singular] the level of temperature
- Test the heat of the water before getting in.
- Set the oven to a low/high/moderate heat.
- Add the rice and reduce the heat.
- Turn up the heat to caramelize the sugar.
- a material that can withstand heats of up to 2 000°C
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- burning
- fierce
- great
- …
- feel
- disperse
- dissipate
- …
- build up
- increase
- come from something
- …
- loss
- exhaustion
- stress
- …
- heat from
- [uncountable] hot weather; the hot conditions in a building, vehicle, etc.
- You should not go out in the heat of the day (= at the hottest time).
- to suffer from the heat
- the summer/afternoon/midday heat
- The heat in the factory was unbearable.
- in the heat They worked all afternoon in the intense heat.
Extra ExamplesTopics Weathera2- The air shimmered in the midday heat.
- Daily the heat grew.
- I can't work in this heat.
- We walked more than ten miles in the blistering heat.
- the steamy heat of New York in summer
- I think the heat is getting to all of us.
- The thick walls retain the heat.
- He tried to ignore the heat building up in the confined space.
- She slumped to the ground suffering from heat exhaustion.
- A heat haze shimmered above the fields.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- baking
- blazing
- blistering
- …
- grow
- get to somebody
- haze
- wave
- source
- …
- in the heat
- the heat of the day
- [uncountable] a source of heat, especially one that you cook food on
- Return the pan to the heat and stir.
- Simmer the soup for 10 minutes then remove from the heat.
- over a… heat Place the roasting tray over a medium heat on your cooker or hob.
Extra Examples- Chocolate should never be melted over direct heat.
- Cook on a low heat for five minutes.
- Make sure the pan is off the heat.
- Simmer the sauce over a gentle heat.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- gentle
- low
- …
- turn up
- lower
- reduce
- …
- off the heat
- on a… heat
- over a… heat
- …
- (especially North American English) (also heating especially in British English)[uncountable] the process of supplying heat to a room or building; a system used to do this
- The heat wasn't on and the house was freezing.
- The house has electric heat.
- They are afraid to turn the heat on because it's so expensive.
Extra Examples- Andy had the heat on full blast in the car.
- I turned the heat down several notches.
- Our heat goes off at ten o'clock and comes on again at six.
- The heat's on low.
- They have their heat turned off during the morning.
- It's important to switch off heat and light in unoccupied rooms.
- These industries provide heat for our homes and fuel for our cars.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- electric
- radiant
- have
- have on
- use
- …
- be on
- be on high
- be on low
- …
- a spicy quality in food that makes your mouth feel as if it is burning
- Chilli peppers add taste and heat to food.
- [uncountable] strong feelings, especially of anger or excitement
- ‘No, I won't,’ he said with heat in his voice.
- The chairman tried to take the heat out of the situation (= to make people calmer).
- In the heat of the moment she forgot what she wanted to say (= because she was so angry or excited).
- In the heat of the argument he said a lot of things he regretted later.
Extra Examples- He stared at her, sudden heat in his eyes.
- She spoke without heat.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- sudden
- flare
- flood something
- rise
- …
- in the heat of
- with heat
- in the heat of the moment
- [uncountable] pressure on somebody to do or achieve something
- The heat is on now that the election is only a week away.
- United turned up the heat on their opponents with a second goal.
- Can she take the heat of this level of competition?
- [countable] one of a series of races or competitions, the winners of which then compete against each other in the next part of the competition
- a qualifying heat
- She won her heat.
- He did well in the heats; hopefully he'll do as well in the final.
- He fell in the first heat.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- qualifying
- regional
- dead
- …
- win
- in a/the heat
being hot/temperature
for cooking
in building/room
in spicy food
strong feelings
pressure
race
Word OriginOld English hǣtu (noun), hǣtan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hitte (noun) and German heizen (verb), also to hot.
Idioms
See heat in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee heat in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe on heat (British English)
(North American English be in heat)
- (of a female mammal) to be ready to have sex and produce young
if you can’t stand the heat (get out of the kitchen)
- (informal) used to tell somebody to stop trying to do something if they find it too difficult, especially in order to suggest that they are less able than other people
Check pronunciation:
heat