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Synonyms

heater

American  
[hee-ter] / ˈhi tər /

noun

  1. any of various apparatus for heating, especially for heating water or the air in a room.

  2. Electronics. the element of a vacuum tube that carries the current for heating a cathode.

  3. Slang. a pistol, revolver, or other firearm.

heater British  
/ ˈhiːtə /

noun

  1. any device for supplying heat, such as a hot-air blower, radiator, convector, etc

  2. slang a pistol

  3. electronics a conductor carrying a current that indirectly heats the cathode in some types of valve

"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

Other Word Forms

  • reheater noun

Etymology

Origin of heater

First recorded in 1490–1500; heat + -er 1

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.

Astronaut Christina Koch said the so-called Universal Waste Management System was giving off "a burning heater smell."

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Zakee, 34, credits one crucial life change for this streak: She started listening to “Ring My Bell,” a louche disco heater released by Anita Ward in 1979.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

An all-electric, energy-efficient alternative to gas-burning furnaces, heat pumps are widely seen as the climate-friendly home heater of choice.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Such attacks also disrupt electricity supplies, but while a generator or battery pack might help in this situation, heating is less straightforward - especially when there is also no electricity to power your heater.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

A thermostat clicked on and a heater started humming.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.