heat wave
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A prolonged period of abnormally hot weather
Literally: a wave of heat
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The Japanese archipelago is struck by a terrible heat wave.Quần đảo Nhật Bản bị tấn công bởi một đợt sóng nhiệt khủng khiếp.
Tatoeba sentence #459123 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “heat wave” mean?
A prolonged period of abnormally hot weather Literally: a wave of heat
Is “heat wave” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.