hot water

American  

noun

Informal.

1. trouble; a predicament.

   His skipping classes will get him into real hot water when exam time comes.

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hot water Idioms  

1. Trouble or difficulty, as in She's deep in political hot water, or We got in hot water over the car deal, or He's finally paid his tuition and is out of hot water with the school. This metaphoric term alludes to water hot enough to burn one. [First half of 1500s] Also see in trouble with.

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Etymology

Origin of hot water

First recorded in 1530–40

Example Sentences

Now the family use a small immersion heater for hot water, which usually is enough for a couple of showers.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

A squirt of dish soap, a cup of hot water, a few pulses, a quick brush.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Cochrane’s breakthrough was to use pressurized water—spraying hot water upward onto dishes, which were held in place by metal racks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Videogame stocks have been in hot water recently.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

I noticed there was no similar plea encouraging me to conserve the hot water that came with my fifteen-dollar pot of room-service tea, but that apparently was a different kind of water.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris