hot spot

or hot·spot

[ hot-spot ]

/ ˈhɒtˌspɒt /

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See synonyms for hot spot on Thesaurus.com

noun

a country or region where dangerous or difficult political situations exist or may erupt, especially where a war, revolution, or a belligerent attitude toward other countries exists or may develop: In the 1960s, Vietnam became a hot spot.

Informal. any area or place of known danger, intrigue, dissension, or instability.

Informal. a nightclub.

Photography. an area of a negative or print revealing excessive light on that part of the subject.

a section of forest or woods where fires frequently occur.

an area hotter than the surrounding surface, as on the shell of a furnace.

Digital Technology. a place where users of portable computers or mobile devices can get wireless broadband access to the internet or another network: how to find free Wi-Fi hot spots.

Physics. an area of abnormally high radioactivity.

Geology. a region of molten rock below and within the lithosphere that persists long enough to leave a record of uplift and volcanic activity at the earth's surface.Compare plume (def. 10).

Genetics. a chromosome site or a section of DNA having a high frequency of mutation or recombination.

Veterinary Pathology. a moist, raw sore on the skin of a dog or cat caused by constant licking of an irritation from an allergic reaction, tangled coat, fleas, etc.

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Origin of hot spot

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Words nearby hot spot

hot seat, in the, hot shit, hot shoe, hot-short, hotshot, hot spot, hot spring, Hot Springs, hotspur, hot-stove league, hot stuff

Other definitions for hot spot (2 of 2)

hot-spot

[ hot-spot ]

/ ˈhɒtˌspɒt /

verb (used with object), hot-spot·ted, hot-spot·ting.

to stop (a forest fire) at a hot spot.

Origin of hot-spot

First recorded in 1950–55; v. use of hot spot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hot spot in a sentence

Crowded apartments became hot spots as people came and left for work and those who fell sick struggled to find space to isolate.
900,000 infected. Nearly 15,000 dead. How the coronavirus tore through D.C., Maryland and Virginia.|Rebecca Tan, Antonio Olivo, John D. Harden|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Especially in Los Angeles, a hot spot for the coronavirus, any effort to throw up barriers to vaccination threatens to undermine the pandemic response, said Diana Shiba, president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association.
Anti-vaccine protest at Dodger Stadium was organized on Facebook, including promotion of banned ‘Plandemic’ video|Isaac Stanley-Becker|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
Physicians in Italy, another early hot spot, wondered whether diabetes diagnoses might follow, given the long-observed association between viral infections and the onset of diabetes.
New diabetes cases linked to covid-19|Erin Blakemore|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Another idea, from Shan Soe-Lin and Robert Hecht at Yale, is to focus on coronavirus hot spots.
America’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout is way too complicated|German Lopez|January 15, 2021|Vox

Gloria said he also wants to expand web access at more city recreation centers and ramp up opportunities for residents to check out computers and wi-fi hot spots from city libraries.
7 Big Promises and Priorities From Gloria’s State of the City Address|Lisa Halverstadt and MacKenzie Elmer|January 14, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Gay marriage was the hot-button fight on the left and right.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Everybody is trapped in an elevator together and tempers run a little hot.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even the hot Jewish women I mentioned above did something a bit more “intellectual” than pageantry: acting.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There was deep brown flesh, and bronze flesh, and pallid white flesh, and flesh turned red from the hot sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many Jewish women have been accepted as conventional, mainstream hot.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Suddenly, however, he became aware of a small black spot far ahead in the very middle of the unencumbered track.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
In the drawing-room things went on much as they always do in country drawing-rooms in the hot weather.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
“You appear to feel it so,” rejoined Mr. Pickwick, smiling at the clerk, who was literally red-hot.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
There was a lathe near the spot where David Arden stood, and shavings and splinters under his feet.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Nearly half the regiment ran to secure their picketed horses, armed themselves in hot haste, and galloped to the gaol.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for hot spot

hot spot

noun

an area of potential violence or political unrest

a lively nightclub or other place of entertainment

an area of great activity of a specific typethe world's economic hot spots

any local area of high temperature in a part of an engine, etc
part of the inlet manifold of a paraffin engine that is heated by exhaust gases to vaporize the fuel

computing a place where wireless internet, esp broadband, services are provided to users of portable computers through a wireless local area network, such as in an airport, railway station, or library

med

a small area on the surface of or within a body with an exceptionally high concentration of radioactivity or of some chemical or mineral considered harmful
a similar area that generates an abnormal amount of heat, as revealed by thermography

genetics a part of a chromosome that has a tendency for mutation or recombination

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

Scientific definitions for hot spot

hot spot

A volcanic area that forms as a tectonic plate moves over a point heated from deep within the Earth's mantle. The source of the heat is thought to be the decay of radioactive elements. The Hawaiian Islands formed as a series of hot spots. See more at tectonic boundary.

Cultural definitions for hot spot

hot spot

A place deep within the Earth where hot magma rises to just underneath the surface, creating a bulge and volcanic activity (see volcano). The chain of Hawaiian Islands (see Hawaii) is thought to have been created by the movement of a tectonic plate over a hot spot.

hot spot

or hot·spot

Origin of hot spot

Words nearby hot spot

Other definitions for hot spot (2 of 2)

Origin of hot-spot

Words related to hot spot

How to use hot spot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hot spot

Scientific definitions for hot spot

Cultural definitions for hot spot