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Synonyms

hot

American  
[hot] / hɒt /

adjective

hotter, hottest
  1. having or giving off heat; having a high temperature.

    a hot fire;

    hot coffee.

    Synonyms:
    sultry, torrid, boiling, scorching, burning, fiery, heated
    Antonyms:
    cold
  2. having or causing a sensation of great bodily heat; attended with or producing such a sensation.

    He was hot with fever.

  3. creating a burning sensation, as on the skin or in the throat.

    This ointment is hot, so apply it sparingly.

  4. sharply peppery or pungent.

    Is this mustard hot?

    Synonyms:
    piquant, biting, spicy, sharp
  5. having or showing intense or violent feeling; ardent; fervent; vehement; excited.

    a hot temper.

    Synonyms:
    violent, irate, furious, angry, impetuous, excitable, intense, passionate, fiery, fervid
  6. Informal. having a strong enthusiasm; eager.

    a hot baseball fan.

  7. Slang.

    1. sexually aroused; lustful.

    2. sexy; attractive.

  8. violent, furious, or intense.

    the hottest battle of the war.

  9. strong or fresh, as a scent or trail.

  10. absolutely new; fresh.

    a dozen new mystery stories hot from the press.

  11. requiring immediate delivery or correspondence; demanding priority.

    The hot freight must be delivered by 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, or we'll lose the contract.

  12. Slang. skillful in a reckless or daring way.

    a hot pilot.

  13. following very closely; close.

    to be hot on the trail of a thief.

  14. (of colors) extremely intense.

    hot pink.

  15. Informal. popular and commercially successful; in demand; marketable.

    The Beatles were a hot group in the 1960s.

  16. Slang. extremely lucky, good, or favorable.

    A poker player has to have a hot hand to win the pot.

  17. Slang. (in sports and games) playing well or winningly; scoring effectively.

    a hot pitcher.

  18. Slang. funny; absurd.

    That's a hot one!

  19. Games. close to the object or answer that is being sought.

  20. Informal. extremely exciting or interesting; sensational or scandalous.

    a hot news story.

  21. Jazz.

    1. (of music) emotionally intense, propulsive, and marked by aggressive attack and warm, full tone.

    2. (of a musician) skilled in playing hot jazz.

  22. Informal. (of a vehicle) capable of attaining extremely high speeds.

    a hot new jet plane.

  23. Slang.

    1. stolen recently or otherwise illegal and dangerous to possess.

      a hot diamond necklace.

    2. wanted by the police.

    3. dangerous.

  24. Informal. in the mood to perform exceedingly well, or rapidly, as during a burst of creative work.

    Finish writing that story while you're still hot.

  25. actively conducting an electric current or containing a high voltage.

    a hot wire.

  26. of, relating to, or noting radioactivity.

  27. Metalworking. noting any process involving plastic deformation of a metal at a temperature high enough to permit recrystallization due to the strain.

    hot working.


adverb

  1. in a hot manner; hotly.

  2. while hot.

    Garnish the potatoes with parsley and serve hot.

  3. Metalworking. at a temperature high enough to permit recrystallization.

    The wire was drawn hot.

verb (used with or without object)

hotted, hotting
  1. Chiefly British Informal. to heat; warm (usually followed byup ).

noun

  1. Slang. the hots, intense sexual desire or attraction.

idioms

  1. hot under the collar. collar.

  2. get hot, (in sports and games) to become very effective or successful; score or win repeatedly or easily.

  3. make it hot for, to make something unpleasant for; cause trouble for.

    Ever since their argument the principal has been making it hot for the new teacher.

  4. hot and bothered, excited, aroused, or flustered: Also all hot and bothered.

    This mistake isn't worth getting hot and bothered about.

  5. hot and heavy, in an intense, vehement, or passionate manner.

    They argued hot and heavy for 20 minutes.

hot British  
/ hɒt /

adjective

  1. having a relatively high temperature

  2. having a temperature higher than desirable

  3. causing or having a sensation of bodily heat

  4. causing a burning sensation on the tongue

    hot mustard

    a hot curry

  5. expressing or feeling intense emotion, such as embarrassment, anger, or lust

  6. intense or vehement

    a hot argument

  7. recent; fresh; new

    a hot trial

    hot from the press

  8. ball games (of a ball) thrown or struck hard, and so difficult to respond to

  9. much favoured or approved

    a hot tip

    a hot favourite

  10. informal having a dangerously high level of radioactivity

    a hot laboratory

  11. slang (of goods or money) stolen, smuggled, or otherwise illegally obtained

  12. slang (of people) being sought by the police

  13. informal sexually attractive

  14. (of a colour) intense; striking

    hot pink

  15. close or following closely

    hot on the scent

  16. informal at a dangerously high electric potential

    a hot terminal

  17. physics having an energy level higher than that of the ground state

    a hot atom

  18. slang impressive or good of its kind (esp in the phrase not so hot )

  19. slang jazz arousing great excitement or enthusiasm by inspired improvisation, strong rhythms, etc

  20. informal dangerous or unpleasant (esp in the phrase make it hot for someone )

  21. (in various searching or guessing games) very near the answer or object to be found

  22. metallurgy (of a process) at a sufficiently high temperature for metal to be in a soft workable state

  23. informal (of a price, charge, etc) excessive

  24. to punish or thrash someone

  25. informal

    1. very severe

      the police are hot on drunk drivers

    2. particularly skilled at or knowledgeable about

      he's hot on vintage cars

  26. informal aroused with anger, annoyance, etc

  27. informal in trouble, esp with those in authority

"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

adverb

  1. in a hot manner; hotly

"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
hot More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing hot


Other Word Forms

  • hotly adverb
  • hotness noun
  • overhot adjective
  • overhotly adverb
  • ultrahot adjective
  • unhot adjective

Etymology

Origin of hot

First recorded before 1000; 1920–25 hot for def. 23; Middle English ho(o)t, Old English hāt; cognate with Dutch heet, Old Norse heitr, Swedish het, Danish hed, German heiss

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.

That method doesn’t align with California’s soil-testing policy and could obscure “hot spots” of contamination on a property.

From Los Angeles Times

The South San Francisco, Calif., company is developing a weight-loss pill, one of the hottest categories in the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal

Which is why the gay hockey drama “Heated Rivalry,” which got hot over the holidays on HBO Max, was represented with cast members Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams presenting an award.

From The Wall Street Journal

One of the Bay Area’s hottest startups is hiring like crazy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Turned out the guitarist had rented a place in town and was spending his days off soaking up whatever there was to soak up under the hot desert sun.

From Los Angeles Times