hot

[ hot ]
See synonyms for: hothotterhottesthotly on Thesaurus.com

adjective,hot·ter, hot·test.
  1. having or giving off heat; having a high temperature: a hot fire;hot coffee.

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

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

  2. sharply peppery or pungent: Is this mustard hot?

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

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

  5. Slang.

    • sexually aroused; lustful.

    • sexy; attractive.

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

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

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

  9. 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.

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

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

  12. (of colors) extremely intense: hot pink.

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

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

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

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

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

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

  19. Jazz.

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

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

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

  21. Slang.

    • stolen recently or otherwise illegal and dangerous to possess: a hot diamond necklace.

    • wanted by the police.

  22. 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.

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

  24. of, relating to, or noting radioactivity.

  25. 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.

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

verb (used with or without object),hot·ted, hot·ting.
  1. Chiefly British Informal. to heat; warm (usually followed by up).

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

Idioms about hot

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

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

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

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

  3. 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

1
First recorded 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 for hot

Opposites for hot

Other words from hot

  • hotly, adverb
  • hotness, noun
  • o·ver·hot, adjective
  • o·ver·hot·ly, adverb
  • ul·tra·hot, adjective
  • un·hot, adjective

Words Nearby hot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hot

hot

/ (hɒt) /


adjectivehotter or hottest
  1. having a relatively high temperature

  2. having a temperature higher than desirable

  1. causing or having a sensation of bodily heat

  2. causing a burning sensation on the tongue: hot mustard; a hot curry

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

  4. intense or vehement: a hot argument

  5. recent; fresh; new: a hot trial; hot from the press

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

  7. much favoured or approved: a hot tip; a hot favourite

  8. informal having a dangerously high level of radioactivity: a hot laboratory

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

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

  11. informal sexually attractive

  12. (of a colour) intense; striking: hot pink

  13. close or following closely: hot on the scent

  14. informal at a dangerously high electric potential: a hot terminal

  15. physics having an energy level higher than that of the ground state: a hot atom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  23. hot on informal

    • very severe: the police are hot on drunk drivers

    • particularly skilled at or knowledgeable about: he's hot on vintage cars

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

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

adverb
  1. in a hot manner; hotly

Origin of hot

1
Old English hāt; related to Old High German heiz, Old Norse heitr, Gothic heito fever

Derived forms of hot

  • hotly, adverb
  • hotness, noun

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.