in the heat of

Idioms

In the most intense or active stage of some activity or condition. For example, One never knows how soldiers will behave in the heat of battle, or In the heat of the moment she accepted his proposal, or In the heat of the negotiations he forgot to call his wife. [Late 1500s]

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.

“It all happens in the heat of the moment,” a midshipman told me.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

Stripped to the waist, men toil in the heat of the sun.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Words like “incompetent” can feel good in the heat of the moment, but they rarely help to resolve an impasse such as this.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Instead, she recommends implementing changes at a neutral moment, not in the heat of an argument about screen time.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

The golden color of the flowers is a little stronger now in the heat of panic, but the color occasionally blinks out of existence.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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