heat check

noun

A difficult or risky shot attempted by a player who has made several consecutive successful shots, aiming to test whether they can maintain their streak.

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Meanings

nounheat check (plural heat checks)

plural heat checks

  1. ball gamesA difficult or risky shot attempted by a player who has made several consecutive successful shots, aiming to test whether they can maintain their streak.

    Great shooters have a short memory. Regardless of how many shots they might miss in a game, they step into the next one like it’s a heat check. It’s not just about makes and misses. It’s about an ability to make constant adjustments, staying confident in your technique and living with the results.

    2022 February 2, C.J. Holmes, “NBA 75: Great shooting is an art form, but it takes time and work to forge”, in The Athletic
Cite this entry
APA

heat check. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heat%20check

MLA

“heat check.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heat%20check. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heat check,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heat%20check.

Source: heat check on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.