Synonyms

het up

American

[het] / hɛt /

adjective

Informal.

indignant; irate; upset.

She was really het up about the new city tax.
enthusiastic.

John is suddenly het up about racing cars.

het up British

adjective

angry; excited

too many people are getting het up about money in rugby

"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

Etymology

Origin of het up

1920–25; het, archaic or dial. past participle of heat + up

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:

het up

However, he said the pair complemented each other, because "when Maurice got het up about anything, Fred would calm him down".

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025

So why has the Chanel version gotten people so het up?

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2021

“What’s the good of rushin’? No use in gettin’ all het up an’ sweaty.

From Slate ● Nov. 25, 2018

There’s no need to get quite so het up about it.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 23, 2015

But my blood don’t git het up now the way hit use’ to did.

From Heart of the Blue Ridge by Waldron Baily

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023