hot

[ hot ]

/ hɒt /

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See synonyms for: hot / hotter / hottest / hotly on Thesaurus.com

adjective, hot·ter, hot·test.

having or giving off heat; having a high temperature: a hot fire; hot coffee.

having or causing a sensation of great bodily heat; attended with or producing such a sensation: He was hot with fever.

creating a burning sensation, as on the skin or in the throat: This ointment is hot, so apply it sparingly.

sharply peppery or pungent: Is this mustard hot?

having or showing intense or violent feeling; ardent; fervent; vehement; excited: a hot temper.

Informal. having a strong enthusiasm; eager: a hot baseball fan.

Slang.

sexually aroused; lustful.
sexy; attractive.

violent, furious, or intense: the hottest battle of the war.

strong or fresh, as a scent or trail.

absolutely new; fresh: a dozen new mystery stories hot from the press.

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.

Slang. skillful in a reckless or daring way: a hot pilot.

following very closely; close: to be hot on the trail of a thief.

(of colors) extremely intense: hot pink.

Informal. popular and commercially successful; in demand; marketable: The Beatles were a hot group in the 1960s.

Slang. extremely lucky, good, or favorable: A poker player has to have a hot hand to win the pot.

Slang. (in sports and games) playing well or winningly; scoring effectively: a hot pitcher.

Slang. funny; absurd: That's a hot one!

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

Informal. extremely exciting or interesting; sensational or scandalous: a hot news story.

Jazz.

(of music) emotionally intense, propulsive, and marked by aggressive attack and warm, full tone.
(of a musician) skilled in playing hot jazz.

Informal. (of a vehicle) capable of attaining extremely high speeds: a hot new jet plane.

Slang.

stolen recently or otherwise illegal and dangerous to possess: a hot diamond necklace.
wanted by the police.
dangerous.

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.

actively conducting an electric current or containing a high voltage: a hot wire.

of, relating to, or noting radioactivity.

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

in a hot manner; hotly.

while hot: Garnish the potatoes with parsley and serve hot.

Metalworking. at a temperature high enough to permit recrystallization: The wire was drawn hot.

verb (used with or without object), hot·ted, hot·ting.

Chiefly British Informal. to heat; warm (usually followed by up).

noun

the hots, Slang. intense sexual desire or attraction.

OTHER WORDS FOR hot

1 heated; fiery, burning, scorching; scalding, boiling; torrid, sultry.

4 biting, piquant, sharp, spicy.

5 fervid; fiery, passionate, intense, excitable, impetuous; angry, furious, irate, violent.

See synonyms for hot on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR hot

1 cold.

See antonyms for hot on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

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Idioms about hot

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

hot and bothered, Informal. excited, aroused, or flustered: This mistake isn't worth getting hot and bothered about.Also all hot and bothered.

hot and heavy, Informal. in an intense, vehement, or passionate manner: They argued hot and heavy for 20 minutes.

hot under the collar. collar (def. 23).

make it hot for, Informal. to make something unpleasant for; cause trouble for: Ever since their argument the principal has been making it hot for the new teacher.

Origin of hot

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hot

hotly, adverbhotness, nouno·ver·hot, adjectiveo·ver·hot·ly, adverb

ul·tra·hot, adjectiveun·hot, adjective

Words nearby hot

hostile witness, hostility, hostler, hostly, host-specific, hot, hot air, hot-air balloon, Hotan, hot and bothered, hot and heavy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hot in a sentence

In almost every day in September so far, Brazil has had twice the number of hot spots as the US, according to the Greenpeace Global Fire Dashboard, which identifies fire activity using NASA satellite data.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common|Lili Pike|September 17, 2020|Vox
Whether your cord is made from nylon or polyester, both plastics will burn once they are hot enough.
This essential survival tool can save your life 10 different ways|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science
If you can’t bear to sip a piping hot mug of dark roast on a scorching day, we understand.
Great coffee beans for cold brew|PopSci Commerce Team|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science
They are all joined by legions of other hot startups, like Panoply, Incorta, and Yellowbrick.
Meet Snowflake, one of the buzziest tech IPOs ever|Aaron Pressman|September 15, 2020|Fortune

Their interest suggested a growing investor-grade nervousness about swiftly mounting environmental risk in the hottest real estate markets in the country.
Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration|by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Meridith Kohut|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
Gay marriage was the hot-button fight on the left and right.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Everybody is trapped in an elevator together and tempers run a little hot.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even the hot Jewish women I mentioned above did something a bit more “intellectual” than pageantry: acting.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There was deep brown flesh, and bronze flesh, and pallid white flesh, and flesh turned red from the hot sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many Jewish women have been accepted as conventional, mainstream hot.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the drawing-room things went on much as they always do in country drawing-rooms in the hot weather.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
“You appear to feel it so,” rejoined Mr. Pickwick, smiling at the clerk, who was literally red-hot.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
Nearly half the regiment ran to secure their picketed horses, armed themselves in hot haste, and galloped to the gaol.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
News came that the rebels were plundering the British quarters, and the infantry went there in hot haste.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
From Canada on the north, to Texas on the south, the hot winds had laid the land seemingly bare.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for hot

hot

/ (hɒt) /

adjective hotter or hottest

having a relatively high temperature

having a temperature higher than desirable

causing or having a sensation of bodily heat

causing a burning sensation on the tonguehot mustard; a hot curry

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

intense or vehementa hot argument

recent; fresh; newa hot trial; hot from the press

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

much favoured or approveda hot tip; a hot favourite

informal having a dangerously high level of radioactivitya hot laboratory

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

slang (of people) being sought by the police

informal sexually attractive

(of a colour) intense; strikinghot pink

close or following closelyhot on the scent

informal at a dangerously high electric potentiala hot terminal

physics having an energy level higher than that of the ground statea hot atom

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

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

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

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

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

Australian and NZ informal (of a price, charge, etc) excessive

give it hot or give it to someone hot to punish or thrash someone

hot on informal

very severethe police are hot on drunk drivers
particularly skilled at or knowledgeable abouthe's hot on vintage cars

hot under the collar informal aroused with anger, annoyance, etc

in hot water informal in trouble, esp with those in authority

adverb

in a hot manner; hotly

Derived forms of hot

hotly, adverbhotness, noun

Word Origin for hot

Old English hāt; related to Old High German heiz, Old Norse heitr, Gothic heito fever

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 Idioms and Phrases with hot

hot

In addition to the idioms beginning with hot

hot air
hot and bothered
hot and heavy
hot as blazes
hot dog
hot line
hot number
hot off the press
hot on
hot potato
hot rod
hot seat, in the
hot stuff
hot to trot
hot under the collar
hot water

also see:

blow hot and cold
like a cat on hot bricks
like hot cakes
make it hot for
piping hot
strike while the iron's hot