hotshot

American  

[hot-shot] / ˈhɒtˌʃɒt /

adjective

1. highly successful and aggressive.

   a hotshot lawyer; a hotshot account exec.

2. displaying skill flamboyantly.

   a hotshot ballplayer.

3. moving, going, or operating without a stop; fast.

   a hotshot express.

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noun

1. an impressively successful or skillful and often vain person.

2. Railroads. an express freight train.

3. a firefighter.

hotshot British  

/ ˈhɒtˌʃɒt /

noun

1. informal an important person or expert, esp when showy

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Usage

What does hotshot mean? A hotshot is someone who’s highly talented and successful in a particular field, especially someone who’s cocky about it. Hotshot can also be used as an adjective to describe such a person. When it’s used as an adjective, it typically modifies a noun that refers to a person’s profession or position, as in hotshot programmer and hotshot quarterback. Example: I heard they brought in some hotshot lawyer to take over the case.

Etymology

Origin of hotshot

First recorded in 1595–1605; hot + shot ¹

Explanation

If you're a hotshot, you're extremely good at one particular thing. A young chess hotshot might win every game within the first few moves. Hotshot is an informal word for an expert or a whiz. The math hotshot in your calculus class is probably the first person whose hand is raised to answer the teacher's question, and several colleges will no doubt try to recruit a high school basketball hotshot. While hotshot gained this meaning in the 1930s, it originally meant "reckless person," and briefly, in the 1920s, "fast train."

Example Sentences

And the craziest part is that Soriano isn’t some highly touted hotshot bursting onto the scene.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

People start claiming your hotshot 27-year-old offensive coordinator is the reason for your success.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Minka Kelly plays a hotshot executive — shorthand for misguided, unfulfilled — out to acquire a French Champagne vineyard.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

Forest Service and other hotshot crews, according to the corrections department.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2025

Next to your name is another name, that of some hotshot law student who’s busy climbing his own ladder.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• accomplished
• adroit
• capable
• deft
• proficient
• skilled
• skillful
• versed