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.
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.
an area of potential violence or political unrest
a lively nightclub or other place of entertainment
an area of great activity of a specific type
the 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
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
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30
First recorded in 1950–55; v. use of hot spot
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A firefighter paramedic said he expressed concern that control lines were not well-defined, and also identified a hot spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
And in San José, the state’s hot spot of data center development, residents flooded a recent public hearing to call for a moratorium while the city updates its data center standards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Antoci and his wife, Josephine, bought the company in 2011 and transformed it into a trendy celebrity hot spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Sequoia’s Mineral King Valley has become such a hot spot for marmot car invasions that the National Park Service warns “You Are Entering Marmot Country.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
It sits on top of an enormous hot spot, a reservoir of molten rock that rises from at least 125 miles down in the Earth.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
In the energy-dependent hot-spot model, these dense regions change as collision energy increases.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
“We believe that when dealing with hot-spot issues in the international community, major powers should be objective and impartial,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
"In the face of what the entire planet is facing, especially the Mediterranean which is a climate change hot-spot, there is no magical defence mechanism."
From Reuters ● Jul. 25, 2023
Ms Less previously voiced fears the store could "become a hot-spot for late night disturbances and anti-social behaviour".
From BBC ● May 16, 2023
The "marginal deterrent effect" — the minimal difference such hot-spot policing purportedly made in the calculations of would-be criminals — was enough to keep most critics quiet.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2023
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.
