hot zone

British

noun

computing a variable area towards the end of a line of text that informs the operator that a decision must be taken as to whether to hyphenate or begin a new line

"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

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.

Turkey is a seismically active hot zone, located at a junction where three pieces of Earth’s crust are squeezing against each other.

From Washington Post • Feb. 9, 2023

Just adding cops increases hot zone containment, but it does nothing for hot zone safety.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2022

Although he was rotated out of the hot zone for some much needed rest and relaxation, he didn't really want to go.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2022

He added the "hot zone" had also been cleared "more than 30 minutes before the neutralisation of the threat".

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2022

The Level 4 air lock is a gray area, a place where two worlds meet, where the hot zone touches the normal world.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023