hot dog
noun
a frankfurter.
hot dog
1 American
[hot dawg, hot dawg]
/ ˈhɒt ˌdɔg, ˈhɒt ˈdɔg /
noun
hot dogs
plural
-
a frankfurter.
-
a sandwich consisting of a frankfurter in a split roll, usually eaten with mustard, sauerkraut, or relish.
-
Informal. Also hotdog, hot dogger, hotdogger, hot-dogger
-
a person who performs complex, showy, and sometimes dangerous maneuvers, especially in surfing or skiing.
-
a show-off, especially in sports.
-
interjection
hot-dog
2
American
[hot-dawg, -dog]
/ ˈhɒtˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /
Or
hotdog
verb (used without object)
hot-dogged,
hot-dogging
-
to perform unusual or very intricate maneuvers in a sport, especially surfing or skiing.
-
to perform in a recklessly or flamboyantly skillful manner, as in a sport or athletic activity; show off.
adjective
-
skillful or excellent, as in sports performance.
-
of, indicating, or for a type of sports activity, especially surfing or skiing, in which intricate and potentially dangerous stunts are performed.
-
intended or done to draw attention; showy or sensational.
hot dog
1
British
noun
verb
hot dog
2
British
noun
hot dog
Idioms
-
A person who performs showy, often dangerous stunts, especially but not exclusively in sports; also, a showoff. For example, He was a shameless hot dog on the tennis court, smashing every ball , or She was a hot dog behind the wheel, screeching her wheels at every turn . The relation of this term to the edible hot dog is unknown. [ Colloquial ; c. 1900]
-
Also, hot diggety dog ; hot diggety . An interjection expressing delight or enthusiasm, as in Hot dog! What a great gift , or Hot diggety! We got the best concert tickets after all . [ Slang ; c. 1900]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hot dog1
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Origin of hot-dog2
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
See Examples For:
Michigan, or the titanic struggle of Joey Chestnut vs. a hot dog, the distinction of greatest rivalry in sports belongs to a showdown that isn’t such a regular fixture on the calendar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Authorities said Martinez was operating a hot dog cart near 7th and Figueroa Streets around 3:45 p.m. on June 15 when she got into an argument with 19-year-old Harmunie Heaven Church.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
In the women's competition, Miki Sudo finished 38 and three-quarters of a hot dog to claim her 12th contest title.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Consumers are increasingly willing to switch proteins, with chicken and hot dog prices rising slower than beef.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Dad finishes his hot dog and pats his mouth with his napkin, wiping away the yellow dot.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
At least three approaches were made to buy the brand, which is as ubiquitous to upper-class larders as French’s mustard is to New York hot-dog stands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
If you are a hot-dog driver, and if you can cut the mustard, you could be behind the wheel of the Wienermobile.
From Slate ● Jan. 12, 2024
While the hot-dog itself offers little to no profit for Costco, it's part of the store's "broader strategy to distinguish its warehouses."
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2023
Prigozhin started out as a St Petersburg hot-dog salesman, but by the mid-1990s he had opened a restaurant.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2023
Because this is a classy hot-dog joint, a waiter takes our order.
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
Mr. Walsh began his career in 1961 at The St. Louis Globe-Democrat, where he hot-dogged around the newsroom smoking cigars and used the floor as his ashtray.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
The crowning moment this time was DeSean Jackson’s punt return touchdown as time expired, which would have been more enjoyable for non-Eagles fans had he not hot-dogged it along the goal line.
From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2010
In that match, Gaël Monfils hot-dogged his way to a lopsided victory that made Roddick’s first trip to the second week at Roland Garros seem like a booby prize.
From New York Times ● May 28, 2010
Remember Lindsey Jacobellis, the American who was yards from a gold before she hot-dogged it off a ramp and fell?
From Time Magazine Archive
But on the second- to-last jump she hot-dogged it, clutching the rail of her board in mid-air, and botched the landing so badly she fell and got silver instead.
From Time Magazine Archive
For all his amiable composure, Ding has indulged in some hot-dogging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Toto’s high-gloss only-in-L.A. aesthetic didn’t age well into the ’90s and early 2000s, when rock went grungy then garage-y; even in Toto’s heyday, critics dismissed the band as hot-dogging technicians.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2024
Combine the competitive edge of Crystal’s alpine racing culture with its hot-dogging heritage and what do you get?
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
He had a flair — some would call it a flair for hot-dogging — but he always backed his postgame act with his play.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 23, 2021
But there was plenty of hot-dogging, too: routine shots made difficult, as well as difficult shots made to look ridiculously easy.
From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2016
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.
