overheat
Americanverb (used with object)
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overheats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overheated,
past participle, past
-
overheating
present participle
-
to heat to excess.
-
to excite or agitate; make vehement.
a crowd overheated by rabble-rousers.
verb (used without object)
-
overheats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overheated,
past participle, past
-
overheating
present participle
noun
verb
-
to make or become excessively hot
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(tr; often passive) to make very agitated, irritated, etc
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(intr) (of an economy) to tend towards inflation, often as a result of excessive growth in demand
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(tr) to cause (an economy) to tend towards inflation
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overheatsimple
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overheatssimple
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have overheatedperfect
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has overheatedperfect
-
am overheatingprogressive
-
are overheatingprogressive
-
is overheatingprogressive
-
have been overheatingperfect progressive
-
has been overheatingperfect progressive
Past
-
overheatedsimple
-
had overheatedperfect
-
was overheatingprogressive
-
were overheatingprogressive
-
had been overheatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overheat
First recorded in 1350–1400, overheat is from the Middle English word overheten. See over-, heat
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:
A sail exposed to an extremely powerful laser could potentially overheat or even melt.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
And on a hot July day, he said the batteries were far more reliable than fuel generators that can overheat and cut out during summer.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
But if the batteries overheat or are defective, a fire can result which spreads very quickly and is hard to control.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Thus, he dared to break with long-held dogma that the economy would overheat and spark runaway inflation if allowed to grow at a sustained rate of much above 2.5% per year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Fortunately, it sensed the overheat and warned me.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Dutch costal city The Hague recently made headlines after a New York Times article described it as a new "coolcation" hotspot, external while "southern Europe overheats".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
In conventional battery packs, when one cell overheats and catches fire, it can cause all those around it to also catch fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
That overheats the present economy and pushes rates higher.
From Barron's ● May 9, 2026
When the economy runs above capacity, it overheats; wages and prices rise.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2025
Wind blows through the flaps; sunshine overheats; and stars twinkle overhead.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
It gets a little cringey, all the ring lights and posing, but I think the fretting over influencers is overheated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Records tumbled in overheated basins like the Atlantic and Mediterranean and also the tropical Pacific, where the strongest El Nino weather pattern in the modern era is fast accumulating strength.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
She predated our overheated era of cable-news slapfights as a massive star and national treasure who never took herself too seriously.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
In another case involving the bureau, a black Labrador named Spike who was trained to detect fire accelerants in arson investigations overheated after a sergeant left him in a car for more than four hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
It wasn’t a particularly long trip from New Rochelle to the Bronx, where her grandparents lived, but the car was overheated as usual and Aaron complained the entire way.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
Although core inflation continues to accelerate, the central bank is likely to emphasize that inflation generated by global AI demand is externally driven and doesn’t necessarily indicate that Taiwan’s domestic economy is overheating, Citi said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Electrical noise, cosmic radiation, and overheating can all introduce errors while information is being processed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
If the body’s system isn’t functioning properly, then there is a risk of dehydration, heart strain and overheating, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Central banks should stimulate when the economy is operating below potential and inflation is below goal, and restrict when the economy is overheating and inflation is too high.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
On the bank the Ford car sat, still breathing softly from its overheating.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
