hotspur
noun
an impetuous or reckless person; a hothead.
hotspur
American
[hot-spur]
/ ˈhɒtˌspɜr /
noun
hotspurs
plural
Hotspur
1
British
/ ˈhɒtˌspɜː /
noun
hotspur
2
British
/ ˈhɒtˌspɜː /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hotspur
1425–75; late Middle English; after Sir Henry Percy, to whom it was applied as a nickname
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.
See Examples For:
More significant men of his time can be discussed without passion because they are inextricably woven into a tapestry of the past, but this hotspur refuses to die.
From Reuters ● Jan. 11, 2013
“You try telling that hotspur Phaeton why he was reined in, or rosy-fingered Aurora why I had to shove her in the face,” Hermes archly tells the reader.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2010
His extraordinary behavior, manifested in a supreme disregard for social etiquette, won for him the sobriquet of "the hotspur of Europe," and the conviction that he was mad.
From Time Magazine Archive
But in surrendering his job as chief executive of the 127-year-old Boston & Maine, the hotspur of U.S. railroading at least set a refreshing precedent.
From Time Magazine Archive
Did they ever think that they too are traitors, and that they are as legally deserving of a halter as the madest secession hotspur of South Carolina?
From The Crisis of Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-One In The Government of The United States. Its Cause, and How it Should be Met by Steight, A. D.
A spokesperson for the club confirmed: "We're working on a full Brisbane Road matchday guide for the website for next season to give parity with our Tottenham Hotspur Stadium information."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
His arrival last August from Tottenham Hotspur in England’s Premier League was met with uncommon fanfare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
After notching 173 goals across all competitions with Tottenham Hotspur, he finished with nine goals in his first 10 regular-season appearances for LAFC.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Few left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the same regret, if the sea of selfies and phones filming every chorus was anything to go by.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
He was struck with the skill of Vivian J. Woodward as a centre forward, and as the result of a chat he was got to play for Tottenham Hotspur.
From Association Football And How To Play It by Cameron, John
But the Southern hotspurs, who understood the vacillating old man, threatened secession and general ruin unless he adopted their program.
From Life of Stephen A. Douglas by Gardner, William
The hotspurs among the water-patriots dream of a first-class navy which might rival, yes, even surpass the British fleet.
From What Germany Thinks The War as Germans see it by Smith, Thomas F. A.
This kindness makes me fear my master's head: Such hotspurs must have game, howe'er they get it.
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8 by Hazlitt, William Carew
The diarist ascribes the petition to Papist influence and to "the hotspurs generally."
From London and the Kingdom - Volume II by Sharpe, Reginald R. (Reginald Robinson)
Events temporarily showed that the kaiser concurred more in his view than that of the hotspurs.
From The Story of the Great War, Volume IV (of 8) Champagne, Artois, Grodno; Fall of Nish; Caucasus; Mesopotamia; Development of Air Strategy; United States and the War by Miller, Francis Trevelyan
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.
