# hot

Pronunciation: say "HOT" US /hɑt/, UK /hɒt/

## Adjective

1. Being at a high temperature, or radiating heat strongly.
   - Simple: Having a high temperature, or giving off a lot of heat.
   - _The sidewalk felt hot beneath our bare feet._
   - _Hot air rises while cooler air sinks toward the floor._
2. Currently popular and in strong demand.
   - Simple: Very popular and wanted by a lot of people right now.
   - _Tickets for the show are hot, selling out within minutes._
   - _The toy became the hottest item of the holiday season._
3. Very physically or sexually attractive. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very attractive and good-looking.
   - _He's easily the hottest guy in the room._
   - _They all agreed the lifeguard was incredibly hot._
10. Of a person, feeling uncomfortably warm, or having a high body temperature, as with a fever.
   - Simple: Feeling too warm, or having a high body temperature because you are ill.
   - _By midafternoon everyone in the office was hot and sluggish._
   - _He felt uncomfortably hot under the heavy blankets._
4. Spicy and pungent on the tongue, as chili peppers and certain spices are.
   - Simple: Tasting of strong spices that make your mouth feel like it is burning.
   - _The salsa was so hot it made my eyes water._
   - _Diners who order the wings extra hot often regret it._
5. Of great current interest, and provoking ongoing debate or controversy.
   - Simple: Talked about a lot right now because it is important or causes arguments.
   - _Immigration remains one of the hottest topics in the campaign._
   - _The new policy is a hot subject at every council meeting._
6. Sexual or sexy; involving sexual activity or excitement. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Involving strong sexual feelings or passion.
   - _The novel is full of hot, steamy scenes._
   - _Their relationship had a hot, passionate start._
7. Very good, remarkable, or exciting. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very good, exciting, or impressive.
   - _The guitarist's solo was hot, and the crowd roared._
   - _Reviewers said the studio's animation was some of the hottest work in years._
8. Of a wire, circuit, microphone, weapon or other equipment, live, active or ready for use; carrying an electric current.
   - Simple: Switched on, live or ready to use, or carrying electricity.
   - _The technician confirmed the red wire was hot before starting._
   - _Never grab a hot terminal without cutting the power first._
9. Performing strongly, with a run of repeated successes.
   - Simple: Doing very well, with one success after another.
   - _The striker was hot all season, finding the net week after week._
   - _Investors followed the hot trader who kept beating the market._
11. Of a situation, uncomfortable, unpleasant, or dangerous, and hard to cope with.
   - Simple: Hard or dangerous to deal with, and full of trouble.
   - _After his lies came out, things got too hot for him at work, so he quit._
   - _Reporters made things hot for the embattled mayor._
12. Charged with intense emotion, fierce competition, or energetic action; heated.
   - Simple: Full of strong feelings, hard competition, or a lot of energetic action.
   - _The fighting grew hot around the bridge as both sides threw in fresh troops._
   - _Bidding for the painting was hot, with three collectors outbidding each other by thousands._
13. Very close to finding or guessing something that is hidden or sought.
   - Simple: Very close to finding or guessing the right answer.
   - _One more step toward the cupboard and you'll be hot._
   - _The detective sensed she was hot on the trail at last._
14. Sexually aroused or strongly attracted to someone; also, keenly eager for something. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Feeling strong sexual desire, or wanting someone or something very much.
   - _Half the office seemed hot for the visiting consultant._
   - _Collectors were hot for the rare first edition the moment it appeared._
15. Fresh and newly released.
   - Simple: Brand new and just made available.
   - _The report is hot off the wire and not yet confirmed._
   - _Copies of the novel, hot from the printer, were stacked by the door._
16. Describing a color that is vivid and intense and catches the eye.
   - Simple: Used about a color that is very bright and strong and easy to notice.
   - _The dancers wore hot pink leotards that glowed under the stage lights._
   - _Neon tubes cast a hot orange glow over the wet street._
17. Stolen, and therefore risky to possess, buy, or resell because it can be traced. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Stolen, and risky to keep, buy, or sell.
   - _Fences rarely pay full price for jewelry that's hot._
   - _Detectives traced the hot laptops back to a warehouse burglary._
18. Easily provoked to anger; quick-tempered.
   - Simple: Quick to get angry and easily upset.
   - _His hot temper flared whenever someone questioned him._
   - _Years of stress left her with a hotter temper than before._
19. Extremely fast; capable of great speed. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Moving very fast, or built to run at high speed.
   - _The leaders kept up a hot pace through the first ten miles of the race._
   - _In high school, his uncle drove a hot V8 sedan that could leave every other car on the boulevard behind._
23. Radioactive; giving off radiation at levels that demand caution. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Radioactive, giving off dangerous radiation.
   - _Technicians flagged the contaminated soil as hot and sealed it off._
   - _Spent fuel rods remain hot for thousands of years after removal._
24. Used before minute or second for emphasis, usually to stress how short a time is, though a hot minute can also mean quite a long while. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Used before a small amount of time to show it is very short.
   - _Give me a hot second to think before you decide._
   - _The whole errand was over in a hot minute._
27. Marked by heavy police presence or activity, and so dangerous for anything illicit. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Watched closely by police, so it is risky to be there.
   - _The smugglers lay low while the border crossing stayed hot._
   - _The block went hot the moment patrol cars rolled in._
28. Containing illegal drugs, especially of a urine sample that tests positive for them. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Containing illegal drugs, said especially of a urine test that shows someone has taken them.
   - _Two of the job applicants came up hot on the drug screen._
   - _His urine sample came back hot for cocaine, and he was off the team by Friday._
29. Of a check: drawn on an account without enough funds to cover it. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Written when there isn't enough money in the bank to pay it.
   - _Merchants up and down the street got stuck holding his hot checks._
   - _The bank froze her account after she wrote three hot checks in one week._

## Adverb

20. At a high temperature; hotly.
   - Simple: At a high temperature, in a way that feels very warm.
   - _The furnace burned hot as the workers fed it more coal._
   - _The midday sun blazed hot over the open fields._
26. At high speed, especially faster than is safe when going into a bend or coming in to land.
   - Simple: Too fast, especially when going into a turn or coming down to land.
   - _The rookie went into the final corner too hot and slid wide into the gravel._
   - _The second helicopter came in hotter than the first and landed hard._

## Verb

21. To heat something, or to make or become hot. *(colloquial, UK, Ireland)*
   - Simple: To make something hot, or to grow hot.
   - _Let me hot up the leftover stew for supper._
   - _The coffee had gone cold, so she hotted it up in the microwave._
22. To grow, or make something grow, more lively, tense or exciting. *(colloquial, UK, Ireland)*
   - Simple: To become more lively, busy, or exciting, or to make something so.
   - _Negotiations hot up whenever a deadline approaches._
   - _The rivalry hots up every time the two teams meet._

## Noun

25. A cooked, warm meal, especially as counted in expressions like 'three hots and a cot.'
   - Simple: A warm, cooked meal, often counted as 'three hots' for three meals a day.
   - _The mission promised every visitor a warm bed and three hots during the cold snap._
   - _For some recruits, the main draw of the army was a bunk and three hots._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of an audio signal or input, very loud, giving the amplifier or recording gear a strong level.
- (adverb) With guns firing, as when troops go into a place shooting.

## Origin

From Middle English hot, from Old English hāt ("hot"), which goes back through Proto-Germanic *haitaz to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "hot" or "to heat." It is related to Dutch heet, German heiß, and Swedish het.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hot (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).