Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

hot potato

American  

noun

  1. Informal. a situation or issue that is difficult, unpleasant, or risky to deal with.

  2. British Informal. a baked potato.

hot potato British  

noun

  1. slang an awkward or delicate matter

"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 potato Idioms  

  1. A problem so controversial and sensitive that it is risky to deal with. For example, Gun control is a political hot potato. This term, dating from the mid-1800s, alludes to the only slightly older expression drop like a hot potato, meaning “to abandon something or someone quickly” (lest one be burned). The idiom alludes to the fact that cooked potatoes retain considerable heat because they contain a lot of water.

Etymology

Origin of hot potato

First recorded in 1840–50

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.

Watson went on to admit this "hot potato" was difficult to address and his hope was that everyone was equal.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

They all agreed that they would get rid of this hot potato, adjourn quickly and go home for the holidays.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2024

Carpenter then tried to give it to Keoghan, but he refused, motioning at the statue as if it were a hot potato he was superstitious about jinxing.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2024

Until then, they seem destined to stay a transit hot potato, passed in bursts from one private owner to another.

From Slate • Aug. 9, 2023

In my pocket is a hot potato I took from dinner to warm my hands.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

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

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