In thermochemistry, an endothermic process (from Greek ἔνδον (endon) 'within', and θερμ- (therm) 'hot, warm') is any thermodynamic process with an increase in the enthalpy H (or internal energy U) of the system. In such a process, a closed system usually absorbs thermal energy from its surroundings, which is heat transfer into the system. Thus, an endothermic reaction generally leads to an increase in the temperature of the system and a decrease in that of the surroundings. It may be a chemical process, such as dissolving ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) in water (H₂O), or a physical process, such as the melting of ice cubes.

The term was coined by 19th-century French chemist Marcellin Berthelot. The opposite of an endothermic process is an exothermic process, one that releases or "gives out" energy, usually in the form of heat and sometimes as electrical energy. Thus, in each term (endothermic and exothermic) the prefix refers to where heat (or electrical energy) goes as the process occurs.