white heat
Americannoun
-
a stage of intense activity, excitement, feeling, etc..
The sales campaign is at white heat.
-
an intense heat at which a substance glows with white light.
noun
-
intense heat or a very high temperature, characterized by emission of white light
-
informal a state of intense excitement or activity
Etymology
Origin of white heat
First recorded in 1700–10
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.
“The white heat of immediate grief makes you smarter and more resilient,” she told Chin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Head coach Steve Borthwick has, in the past, zeroed in on the continuity, cohesion and the long-term lessons imprinted by the white heat of a Test match - but was citing different evidence this week.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
But it's worth remembering that the meeting was March 21 to 22, right in the white heat of the crisis triggered by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank only days before.
From Reuters ● Apr. 13, 2023
“The uprooting of trees and hedgerows and draining of wet places. . . . This sort of white heat of progress and technology to the exclusion of nature . . . this complete determination somehow to defeat nature.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2021
A bolt of white heat hit her and she grayed, then dissipated into the air.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
