hotline
[ hot-lahyn ]
/ ˈhɒtˌlaɪn /
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noun
adjective
Chiefly Canadian. of or relating to a radio program that receives telephone calls from listeners on the air.
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Words nearby hotline
Definition for hotline (2 of 2)
hot line
noun
a direct telecommunications link, as a telephone line or Teletype circuit, enabling immediate communication between heads of state in an international crisis: the hot line between Washington and Moscow.
a telephone service enabling people to talk confidentially with someone about a personal problem or crisis.
a telephone line providing customers or clients with direct access to a company or professional service.
Also hotline.
Origin of hot line
First recorded in 1950–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for hotline
British Dictionary definitions for hotline
hotline
/ (ˈhɒtˌlaɪn) /
noun
a direct telephone, teletype, or other communications link between heads of government, for emergency use
any such direct line kept for urgent use
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
Idioms and Phrases with hotline
hot line
A telephone line that gives quick and direct access to a source of information or help. For example, Our state has an AIDS hot line in every county. This term was originally (and is still) used for a direct link between heads of government for use during a crisis, but was quickly extended to wider applications. [1950s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.