hot air

American  

noun

Informal.

1. empty, exaggerated, or pretentious talk or writing.

   His report on the company's progress was just so much hot air.

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hot air British  

noun

1. informal empty and usually boastful talk

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hot air Idioms  

1. Empty, exaggerated talk, as in That last speech of his was pure hot air. It is also put as full of hot air, as in Pay no attention to Howard—he's full of hot air. This metaphoric term transfers heated air to vaporous talk. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of hot air

1835–45 for literal sense

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hot air

Some supermarket staff reportedly said they were hit by waves of hot air when they opened freezer units on Monday morning.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

“The courts were saying, ‘Who is using hot air balloons?’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

The scale of the financial impact depends to some degree on whether civil courts treat AI agents like hot air balloons or trains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Referencing comments by Tory peer and former Marks & Spencer boss Lord Rose, who called the announcements "hot air", Ashley said "I agree with him".

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

I inserted the prongs into the wall, and the object sent hot air blasting into my face!

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

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