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

Streeting and Mahmood have both apologised for the comments caught on the hot mic with both labelling the early release scheme a "serious issue".

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

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

On Monday, President Trump was caught on a hot mic when speaking with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2025

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