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hot mic

American

[hot mahyk] / ˈhɒt ˈmaɪk /

Or hot mike

noun

Informal.

a microphone that is actively recording or broadcasting, especially if it captures a comment or conversation that the speaker or speakers believed to be private (often used attributively): The reporter was suspended after her profanity was caught on a hot mic.

The techs should limit the number of hot mics to reduce acoustic feedback.
The reporter was suspended after her profanity was caught on a hot mic.
Their hot mic scheming confirmed the conspiracy theories.

Etymology

Origin of hot mic

1930–35; hot (in the sense “actively conducting an electric current”) + mic “microphone”

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.

In October, in what appeared to be a hot mic moment, Jordan’s Queen Rania asked the pope during a photo-op at the Vatican whether it was safe to go to Lebanon.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2025

Xi Jinping did not invite Donald Trump to the recent military parade in Beijing, where he and Vladimir Putin were caught on a hot mic discussing how to achieve immortality through organ transplants.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025

No sooner than the plan had been announced, it was eclipsed by a "hot mic" moment.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2024

In the Jan. 17 House hearing, Rep. Andrew Barkis had a hot mic moment when he was heard saying, “We should all have our own personalized plates issued by the state.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

His denouement arrives when he accidentally tells his audience over a hot mic that they’re a bunch of witless, contemptible rubes; they turn on him and his popularity evaporates.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023