in heat

Idioms

In a state of sexual excitement immediately preceding ovulation. For example, Our cat's in heat so we have to keep her inside. This expression applies to most female mammals and indicates the period when the animal is fertile and most receptive to mating. [Mid-1700s]

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.

Unlike internal combustion engines, which require a large temperature gap to operate efficiently, Stirling engines can run on much smaller differences in heat.

From Science Daily

Their times in heat three and four were the sixth and 10th quickest respectively, and a shake of the head from Hall after run three illustrated his disgruntlement at how these Games have gone.

From BBC

But they dropped off the pace in the second, clocking 55.04secs - the 12th-quickest time in heat two - to lose four places in the standings before Sunday's medal-deciding heats.

From BBC

Weston was the only slider under 56 seconds as he clocked 55.88secs in heat two, to add to his 56.21secs in run one on the new Cortina sliding track.

From BBC

Swedish guard Pelle Larsson and Bam Adebayo each scored 20 points as host Miami ripped Chicago 134-91, the third-biggest rout in Heat history.

From Barron's

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