hot war
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of hot war
First recorded in 1945–50; by analogy with cold war
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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.
Investors find themselves in the middle of a hot war in the Middle East, with oil prices touching their highest levels in years.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026
It needs to, because it’s a hot war now, right?
From Slate • Oct. 25, 2025
“President Xi Jinping reiterated during his recent visit to the United States that China will not fight a cold war or a hot war with anyone.”
From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024
If it went from a cold to a hot war it would ignite a Middle East conflagration of global significance.
From BBC • Oct. 16, 2023
It was evidently war that the adventurer wanted, the hot war of the two fur companies coupled to that of man and man for a maid.
From The Maid of the Whispering Hills by Roe, Vingie E. (Vingie Eve)
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.
