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Synonyms

heat up

Idioms  
  1. Become acute or intense, as in If inflation heats up, the interest rate will surely rise, or The debate over the budget was heating up. [Early 1200s]


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.

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Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Markets expect prices to heat up in the coming months, and analysts surveyed weekly by the central bank forecast inflation of 4.9% at the end of this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Things do heat up at times in “Tommy and Tuppence,” but they stay mostly hot in “Neagley,” with Maria Sten taking her recurring “Reacher” role to center stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

If you heat up food—by frying it in a pan, for example—it will usually form some amount of acrylamide without adding any other ingredients at all.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

My cheeks heat up at the thought of her seeing the dishevelled old woman shuffling up our driveway in her slippers.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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