hot mic

American  

[hot mahyk] / ˈhɒt ˈmaɪk /

Or hot mike

noun

Informal.

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of hot mic

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hot mic

Afterward, a hot mic picked up Tyson seeming to ask Paul a rather unexpected question:

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Macron was caught on a hot mic telling Zelensky that dinner with Trump and other leaders had been “difficult.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

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

Putin suggested even eternal life could be achievable as a result of innovations in biotechnology, according to a translation of remarks caught on a hot mic.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was caught on a hot mic the other day giving his assessment of Donald Trump’s threat to turn Canada into the 51st state.

From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2025