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
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
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
The white varieties grown in fields are the pearl, early Charlton, golden hotspur, the common white, or Suffolk, and other Suffolk varieties.
From The Book of Household Management by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton
This was the first Premier League goalless draw, in the 140th game, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
"It would still be something that Spurs fans would celebrate," said Tristan Foot, secretary of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
New video footage has been released that shows the ball coming off Neco Williams' arm in the lead-up to his disallowed goal in the 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
You suspect the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder felt a little sick following their 2-0 defeat on Saturday evening.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
“Turn ’em, Ben!” exclaimed Sir Richard, with a dirty coat, and Hotspur in a lather, but determined not to lose a moment in getting after his fox.
From Riding Recollections, 5th ed. by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville
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 William Carew Hazlitt
I can’t even have due respect for them, these indiscreet hotspurs.
From The Goose Man by Allen Wilson Porterfield
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 William Gardner
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 Francis Trevelyan Miller
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 Thomas F. A. Smith
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.
