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heat-treat

American  
[heet-treet] / ˈhitˌtrit /

verb (used with object)

  1. to subject (a metal or alloy) to controlled heating and cooling to improve hardness or other properties.


heat-treat British  

verb

  1. (tr) to apply heat to (a metal or alloy) in one or more temperature cycles to give it desirable properties

"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 heat-treat

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

See Examples For:

While consumers can also attempt to heat-treat raw flour at home, this isn't recommended because the flour may not be spread thinly enough to kill all of the microorganisms.

From Salon Mar. 8, 2023

She signed her name on the bid sheet to become a heat-treat operator, even though no woman had ever lasted in that department before.

From New York Times Oct. 7, 2021

In another shop, Conyers keeps an array of woodworking tools and machines that members can use, too, plus a small oven to heat-treat metal.

From Washington Times Feb. 23, 2020

And he says that climate change, which made trees in southern Africa scarce around 60,000 years ago, helps explain why blunted miniblades are not seen at Border Cave: Wood is needed to heat-treat the stone.

From Science Magazine Nov. 7, 2012

It is piped both to the Rouge and Highland Park plants where it is used for heat-treat purposes, for the enamelling ovens, for the car ovens, and the like.

From My Life and Work by Ford, Henry

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