heat
noun
a relatively high degree of warmth.
had been heating
-
past perfect progressiveof heat.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Jess Park's first-half goal proved to be the winner in an impressive 1-0 win over the world champions and it poured cold water over criticism that had been heating up.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
The brutal 2023 summer had been heating the Amazonia lake to temperatures far beyond anything previously recorded, and as they had feared, something was now happening to the pink river dolphins.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 5, 2024
At least a year before August 1969, community tensions across Northern Ireland had been heating up, with civil rights marches and campaigns of civil disobedience.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2019
My former colleague, Ed Lazear, had a line that’s more apt: The crisis was like a giant popcorn popper,3 and it had been heating these kernels for a year as the crisis went on.
From BusinessWeek ● Sep. 12, 2013
He took off another one that had been heating there and wet his thumb to test it.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
