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Synonyms

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

  • reheater noun

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.

Astronaut Christina Koch said the so-called Universal Waste Management System was giving off "a burning heater smell."

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

An all-electric, energy-efficient alternative to gas-burning furnaces, heat pumps are widely seen as the climate-friendly home heater of choice.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Shiffrin isn’t just the planet’s most decorated skier, she’d been on a wild heater entering these Games, winning seven out of eight World Cup races and looking very much at the peak of her powers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Such attacks also disrupt electricity supplies, but while a generator or battery pack might help in this situation, heating is less straightforward - especially when there is also no electricity to power your heater.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

To open Cape Coalwood, I loaded Auk V with our bottle-tested formula of finely ground black powder and postage stamp glue, cured under the water heater for five days.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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.