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heater

American  
[hee-ter] / ˈhi tər /

noun

  1. any of various apparatus for heating, especially for heating water or the air in a room.

  2. Electronics. the element of a vacuum tube that carries the current for heating a cathode.

  3. Slang. a pistol, revolver, or other firearm.

heater British  
/ ˈhiːtə /

noun

  1. any device for supplying heat, such as a hot-air blower, radiator, convector, etc

  2. slang a pistol

  3. electronics a conductor carrying a current that indirectly heats the cathode in some types of valve

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of heater

First recorded in 1490–1500; heat + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For inheritance purposes, the court said he had two fathers—the one who raised him and Heater, his biological dad.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Some residents remember the house being called Box and Heater due to its vintage clothing iron-shaped interior and because it is wedged between two existing houses.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2025

“We all love Kim Sheets. I mean, anybody that’s worked with her for more than 10 minutes will love her,” Heater said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 30, 2023

Price: $15 Amazon Target Gaiatop Space Heater At first glance, Gaiatop’s ceramic space heater doesn’t seem all that capable given its small stature.

From The Verge • Nov. 15, 2021

Simple Electric Heater The table shows that German silver has the highest resistance.

From Electricity for Boys by Zerbe, James Slough

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.