overheat
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
(tr; often passive) to make very agitated, irritated, etc
-
(intr) (of an economy) to tend towards inflation, often as a result of excessive growth in demand
-
(tr) to cause (an economy) to tend towards inflation
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overheatsimple
-
overheatssimple
-
have overheatedperfect
-
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
This can puncture the batteries that cause them to short-circuit, overheat and potentially ignite surrounding materials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
That is because the plants are grown in greenhouses which overheat in the high outdoor temperatures, causing the plants to become stressed, Vanpoperingh said.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 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
Fanning the smoke aside, she muttered, “I’ve never seen it overheat like this.”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Mandy says she is constantly reaching for her inhaler as her flat overheats.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
People spend against the future before it is here, and the economy overheats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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
As his phone overheated in North Carolina, he decided that instead of tuning out the noise, he would jump cleats-first into the comments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Since last week, students have staged protests outside schools over grievances ranging from timetables, class sizes and a shortage of teachers to overheated classrooms during this year's heatwaves.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 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
When the Baeli family moved in 10 years ago, their house had draughty PVC double-glazed windows with little insulation - they struggled to keep warm in the winter and overheated in the summer.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The church hall was so crowded we could barely get inside, and once we did, it was overheated with the crush of bodies.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Behind nondescript exteriors in Virginia’s “Data Center Alley,” some employees log up to 30,000 steps a day while others ride scooters down echoey hallways and sniff for overheating equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 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
But data centres also consume large amounts of water - some up to 40 million litres a day, which is equivalent to 80,000 households - to prevent their servers from overheating.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Today he is overheating; sweat trickles down his back and sides.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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