to heat up
57
3.4
- phrasal verb
- /hiːt ʌp/
:
intensificarse
- The call-in show was heating up: Nixon was either a criminal or a saint.
It's really heating up in the rest of the world.
- It's really heating up in the rest of the world.
- Well, by the time we get to July, things are heating up.
- Trump 's Trump's impeachment is really heating up.
- And the Cold War is heating up, and there's a monster presence of Soviet and allied armies in Eastern Europe.
- The tech bro space race really heated up during the pandemic as all sorts of space businesses were taken public as SPAC's.
- So as a conversation heats up, you are already arousing her mind.
- That would doesn't sound like if things are heating up.
- And eventually things start start heating up more.
- You don't get a lot of acceleration feel until the turbos start to kick in and then things really do kind of heat up terms of acceleration.
Examples
-
Things are really heating up at the castle tonight.
-
The healthcare reform continues to heat up in congress, but at what cost to the industry?
-
Things are just beginning to heat up between the couple inside the car.
Fiction book (1993) -
Things are heating up in this final match of the World Cup.
-
Looks like things are heating up quite nicely.
-
The real estate market was heating up, like the weather, so in this respect my timing was good.
Fiction book (2001) -
Yet just as this political infighting was heating up, European powers initiated an even larger conflict.
-
With the points race heating up, this race is primed to be one of the best of the seaso.
-
[Macro] Competition for the Tall Oaks Cup is really heating up.
-
As the competition progresses, tensions heat up among the teams.
Synonyms
904
1.0
To become greater in amount or strength
220
5.5
To become larger, more serious, or more intense
177
4.3
To make feelings, arguments or actions stronger
110
4.0
Make something stronger or more intense
76
4.1
To make a feeling, effect or situation stronger
74
3.4
Make something greater in amount, speed or strength
70
4.1
Make people feel excited and ready to act
66
3.9
To make or become more active and interesting
64
2.7
To make something more active, alert or interested
47
4.1
To increase something, especially its amount or speed
39
3.8
To increase the level or strength of something, for example volume, production
39
3.9
To make prices rise to a higher level, often quickly
30
4.7
To give more energy to something, for example with electricity or light
28
4.1
Make someone feel excited and full of energy
26
4.2
Make a situation more urgent to force someone to act
25
4.1
Rise quickly to a much higher level
23
3.9
To make something more interesting or exciting
23
3.4
To raise prices or amounts by a lot
20
4.2
Become angry or excited during a discussion
18
6.7
To increase something slowly until it becomes hard to reduce
9
6.5
To increase something a lot, often efforts or strength
6
4.1
Make something more active and interesting
3
4.1
Make someone or something more lively and interesting
2
5.1
Make something more interesting and lively, like a room or outfit
2
4.4
Increase very quickly to a much higher level
2
5.1
To make a feeling or desire stronger
1
5.4
To add fuel to a fire or make energy and excitement stronger
1
5.8
To make something much more powerful or effective
1
4.6
To suddenly start burning strongly or become much more intense
1
8.2
To make something more lively or bright
1
4.6
To make something faster or more active
1
7.7
To become more active or exciting in a situation
Make an event like a party more lively and exciting
Make people more interested and eager about something
To make food quickly or to cause strong excitement
To make feelings like anger or excitement stronger
Become angry or excited in a discussion
Becoming stronger or more intense
Antonyms
How Intense
220
5.5
110
4.0
57
3.4
- Informal
66
3.9
95
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'heat' (make hotter/intense) and 'up' (increase) transparently signal an increase in intensity, so a learner who knows both words can infer a general meaning of making something more intense. However, the extension to abstract domains (e.g., 'heat up the party' = make it more exciting) relies on a metaphorical mapping rather than a strictly literal composition, so the relation is partially but not fully predictable.
Etymology
Heat up comes from the picture of a pan or room getting hotter; as things get hotter people or events can become stronger or more active, so we say they heat up. That's why it means 'to become more intense, active, or exciting'.