heat pump

American

noun

a device that uses a compressible refrigerant to transfer heat from one body, as the ground, air, or water, to another body, as a building, with the process being reversible.

heat pump British

noun

a device, as used in a refrigerator, for extracting heat from a source and delivering it elsewhere at a much higher temperature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of heat pump

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

If you’re a California homeowner and you’ve been feeling chilly this winter, there are plenty of reasons to go get a heat pump.

From Los Angeles Times

Currently, there are 30,000 ground source heat pumps in UK homes, with the government offering grants to reduce the cost.

From BBC

In terms of keeping buildings warm, heat pumps are widely seen as the best way of cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and helping to achieve net zero goals.

From BBC

It’s also worth around $32,000 per customer gas meter in Orange Cove — more than enough for the community to install electric heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and induction stoves, zeroing out gas use.

From Los Angeles Times

Lifeguard Marc Levy told AFP the mobile pool was "surprising", operating like any other with a heat pump, drainage and filtration system.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023