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.

When Vladimir Putin was captured by a hot mic telling Xi Jinping that humans could achieve immortality by replacing their organs, some dismissed the exchange as eccentric small talk between aging autocrats.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 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

The former “Access Hollywood” correspondent and co-anchor, who was entangled in a hot mic controversy with then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, wants to focus on his own show.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025

They were heard by gathered journalists because the prime minister did not realize he was still speaking into a hot mic.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2025

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