heat ray
- noun
- Perfect... if you're building a heat ray.
- stop the heat ray
And by the way, what a crazy way to learn that America's military has a heat ray.
- And by the way, what a crazy way to learn that America's military has a heat ray.
Examples
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All we've seen is their heat ray.
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"Lookout for that heat ray.
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In the movie, the villain used a heat ray to destroy buildings from a distance.
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The scientist demonstrated how the heat ray can quickly warm up a specific area.
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During the experiment, the heat ray generated enough energy to ignite the paper.
Synonyms
A narrow line of light like a sunbeam
A line of light that shines from one place to another
A type of light we cannot see that warm things give off
A type of light you cannot see that makes things warm
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a beam of energy that produces heat' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'heat' (thermal energy) + 'ray' (a narrow beam). This straightforward noun+noun compound follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Heat ray creates a clear image: a thin ray like a line of light that carries very hot heat, able to burn or melt things from far away. So, it means 'a beam of energy that produces heat', often imagined as a weapon.