red-hot

[adjective red-hot; noun red-hot]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR red-hot ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

red with heat; very hot.

creating much excitement, demand, or discussion: The new toy robot is a red-hot item this Christmas.

violent; furious: red-hot anger.

characterized by intense excitement, enthusiasm, or passion.

very fresh or new; most recent: red-hot tips on the stock market.

noun

a person who has great fervor or intensity, as for a goal or cause.

Informal. a hot dog.

a small cinnamon-flavored candy.

Origin of red-hot

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for red-hot

Contemporary Examples of red-hot

Woods were shredded, the earth trembled and the ground exploded in showers of stone and red-hot metal splinters.
Hitler’s Hail Mary
James A. Warren
December 20, 2014
Moral equivalence and malaise, rather than red-hot ideology, motivates Haydon.
Iran’s Top Spy Is the Modern-Day Karla, John Le Carré’s Villainous Mastermind
Michael Weiss
July 2, 2014
He broke three of her ribs with an umbrella and on another occasion hit her with a red-hot poker.
The Week in Death: Clarissa Dickson Wright, One of ‘Two Fat Ladies’
The Telegraph
March 22, 2014
Designer Frida Giannini let the collection scream not-so-subtle sexuality, with florescent pinks, silk and red-hot silhouettes.
Photo of The Day: Gucci’s ‘Unfussy Femininity’
Anna Klassen
September 19, 2012
Despite his red-hot debate showings—and a retroactive win in Iowa—Senator Sweatervest was basically a nonfactor in Florida.
Florida Primary: Rick Santorum’s Daughter’s Illness
Michelle Cottle
February 1, 2012

Historical Examples of red-hot

His own skin had sizzled under the red-hot brand, he murmured softly.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
He could have moved it now for nothing short of a gimlet or a red-hot wire.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
A shower of red-hot stones warned him that he was near the volcano.
Classic Myths
Mary Catherine Judd
There was something in her that was red-hot, although she was now a middle-aged woman.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens
They talked of boxing Augustine's ears when they saw that the stove was red-hot.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for red-hot

red-hot

adjective

(esp of metal) heated to the temperature at which it glows rediron is red-hot at about 500°C

extremely hotthe stove is red-hot, so don't touch it

keen, excited, or eager; enthusiastic

furious; violentred-hot anger

very recent or topicalred-hot information

Australian slang extreme, unreasonable, or unfairthe charges are red-hot

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

Word Origin and History for red-hot

adj.

late 14c., "heated till it glows red" (of metal, etc.); of persons, "lively, passionate," it is recorded from c.1600. Red-hot mama is 1926, jazz slang, "earthy female singer," also "girlfriend, lover."