Pronunciation: /hɑt ʌp/
verb to become more intense or exciting
A1 The weather is starting to hot up.
A2 The competition will really hot up in the final round.
B1 Things are really hotting up in the office with the new project.
B2 The political situation is hotting up as the election approaches.
C1 Tensions are hotting up between the two rival factions.
C2 The debate on climate change is really hotting up in the scientific community.
adverb in a manner that causes something to become more intense or exciting
A1 The weather is starting to hot up, so I think we should go swimming.
A2 The competition is really hotting up now, with only a few points between the top teams.
B1 The job market is really hotting up in this area, so it's a good time to start looking for a new job.
B2 The debate over the new policy is really hotting up, with strong opinions on both sides.
C1 Tensions between the two countries are hotting up, leading to concerns of a potential conflict.
C2 The negotiations between the two companies are hotting up as they try to finalize the merger deal.
formal As the competition heats up, companies are looking for new ways to stay ahead in the market.
informal Things are really starting to hot up between those two teams in the championship.
slang The drama is about to hot up on the reality TV show.
figurative Tensions began to hot up as the negotiations reached a critical point.
heated up
heat up
hotter up
hottest up
heats up
will heat up
has heated up
is heating up
heats up
hot up
to heat up
heating up
heated up