heat lightning

noun

1. lightning too distant for thunder to be heard, observed as diffuse flashes near the horizon on summer evenings.

heat lightning

noun

1. flashes of light seen near the horizon, esp on hot evenings: reflections of more distant lightning

heat lightning

1. Intermittent flashes of reddish or orange light near the horizon, usually seen on a hot summer evening and unaccompanied by thunder. Heat lightning is thought to be the reflection of distant lightning on clouds. Its color is believed to be due to the refraction of light in the atmosphere.
2. See also sheet lightningSee more at lightning

Word History and Origins

Origin of heat lightning¹

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

His face had altered; a dim glimmer played in his eyes like the reflection of heat lightning at dusk.

From Project Gutenberg

The night was pitch dark, except for pulses of heat-lightning, now and then, far to westward.

From Project Gutenberg

A pale flare of heat-lightning turned the world, momentarily, from jet black to a dim sulphur-color.

From Project Gutenberg

In the south, too, "heat lightning" played sharply—and almost continuously.

From Project Gutenberg

The sky quivers and reflects the flash of the great guns, as with the constant vibration of heat lightning.

From Project Gutenberg