hot ( hotter comparative) ( hottest superlative) ( hots 3rd person present) ( hotting present participle) ( hotted past tense & past participle )
1 adj Something that is hot has a high temperature., (Antonym: cold, cool)
When the oil is hot, add the sliced onion..., What he needed was a hot bath and a good sleep...
2 adj Hot is used to describe the weather or the air in a room or building when the temperature is high., (Antonym: chilly, cold)
It was too hot even for a gentle stroll..., It was a hot, humid summer day...
3 adj If you are hot, you feel as if your body is at an unpleasantly high temperature.
usu v-link ADJ (Antonym: cold)
I was too hot and tired to eat more than a few mouthfuls...
4 adj You can say that food is hot when it has a strong, burning taste caused by chillies, pepper, or ginger.
(=spicy) (Antonym: mild)
...hot curries., ...a dish that's spicy but not too hot.
5 adj A hot issue or topic is one that is very important at the present time and is receiving a lot of publicity. (JOURNALISM) usu ADJ n
The role of women in war has been a hot topic of debate in America since the Gulf conflict.
6 adj Hot news is new, recent, and fresh.
INFORMAL usu ADJ n
...eight pages of the latest movies, video releases and the hot news from Tinseltown.
7 adj You can use hot to describe something that is very exciting and that many people want to see, use, obtain, or become involved with.
INFORMAL usu ADJ n
The hottest show in town was the Monet Exhibition at the Art Institute...
8 adj You can use hot to describe something that no one wants to deal with, often because it has been illegally obtained and is very valuable or famous.
INFORMAL usu v-link ADJ
If too much publicity is given to the theft of important works, the works will become too hot to handle and be destroyed.
9 adj You can describe a situation that is created by a person's behaviour or attitude as hot when it is unpleasant and difficult to deal with.
INFORMAL usu v-link ADJ
When the streets get too hot for them, they head south in one stolen car after another.
10 adj A hot contest is one that is intense and involves a great deal of activity and determination.
INFORMAL usu ADJ n
It took hot competition from abroad, however, to show us just how good Scottish cashmere really is.
11 adj If a person or team is the hot favourite, people think that they are the one most likely to win a race or competition.
Atlantic City is the hot favourite to stage the fight.
12 adj Someone who has a hot temper gets angry very quickly and easily.
usu ADJ n
His hot temper was making it increasingly difficult for others to work with him.
13 If someone blows hot and cold, they keep changing their attitude towards something, sometimes being very enthusiastic and at other times expressing no interest at all.
blow hot and cold phrase V inflects, oft PHR on/over/about n
The media, meanwhile, has blown hot and cold on the affair.
14 If you are hot and bothered, you are so worried and anxious that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly.
hot and bothered phrase v-link PHR, oft PHR about n
Ray was getting very hot and bothered about the idea.
15 If you say that one person has the hots for another, you mean that they feel a strong sexual attraction to that person. INFORMAL
get/have the hots for phrase V inflects I've had the hots for him ever since he came to college. hot up phrasal verb When something hots up, it becomes more active or exciting. (BRIT) The bars rarely hot up before 1am... V P
If you say that someone's claims or promises are just hot air, you are criticizing them because they are made mainly to impress people and have no real value or meaning.
His justification for the merger was just hot air...
hot-air balloon ( hot-air balloons plural ) A hot-air balloon is a large balloon with a basket underneath in which people can travel. The balloon is filled with hot air in order to make it float in the air. n-count
If you describe someone as hot-blooded, you mean that they are very quick to express their emotions, especially anger and love. adj usu ADJ n (Antonym: cold-blooded)
Both of these dancers knew full well why they attracted the attentions of two hot-blooded young men.
hot button ( hot buttons plural ) A hot button is a subject or problem that people have very strong feelings about.
(mainly AM, JOURNALISM) n-count oft N n
Abortion is still one of the hot button issues of US life.
hot-desk ( hot-desks 3rd person present) ( hot-desking present participle) ( hot-desked past tense & past participle ) If employees hot-desk, they are not assigned particular desks and work at any desk that is available. (BUSINESS) verb
Some ministers will have to hot-desk until more accommodation can be found. V
I think that very few employees prefer hot-desking to having a fixed desk.
hot dog ( hot dogs plural ) A hot dog is a long bread roll with a hot sausage inside it. n-count
hot flash ( hot flashes plural ) A hot flash is the same as a hot flush.
hot flush ( hot flushes plural ) A hot flush is a sudden hot feeling in the skin which women often experience at the time of their menopause.
(mainly BRIT) n-count
in AM, use hot flash
hot-foot ( hot-foots 3rd person present) ( hot-footing present participle) ( hot-footed past tense & past participle ) , hotfoot If you hot-footit somewhere, you go there in a hurry.
...a group of actors hot-footing it for the bar. V it adv/prep
If you describe someone as hot-headed, you are criticizing them for acting too quickly, without thinking of the consequences. adj
hot key ( hot keys plural ) A hot key is a key, or a combination of keys, on a computer keyboard that you can press in order to make something happen, without having to type the full instructions. (COMPUTING) n-count
hot link ( hot links plural ) A hot link is a word or phrase in a hypertext document that can be selected in order to access additional information. (COMPUTING) n-count
hot potato ( hot potatoes plural ) If you describe a problem or issue as a hot potato, you mean that it is very difficult and nobody wants to deal with it.
hot rod ( hot rods plural ) A hot rod is a fast car used for racing, especially an old car fitted with a new engine.
If you are inthe hot seat, you are responsible for making important and difficult decisions.
the hot seat phrase usu in/into PHR
He is to remain in the hot seat as chief executive.
hot spot ( hot spots plural ) , hotspot
1 n-count You can refer to an exciting place where there is a lot of activity or entertainment as a hot spot.
INFORMAL ...a popular and lively package tour hotspot.
2 n-count You can refer to an area where there is fighting or serious political trouble as a hot spot. (JOURNALISM)
There were many hot spots in the region, where fighting had been going on.
If you think that someone or something is hot stuff, you find them exciting or sexually attractive.
His love letters were hot stuff, apparently.
If you describe someone as hot-tempered, you think they get angry very quickly and easily. adj
hot tub ( hot tubs plural ) A hot tub is a very large, round bath which several people can sit in together. n-count
hot-water bottle ( hot-water bottles plural ) , hot water bottle A hot-water bottle is a rubber container that you fill with hot water and put in a bed to make it warm. n-count
hot-wire ( hot-wires 3rd person present) ( hot-wiring present participle) ( hot-wired past tense & past participle ) If someone, especially a thief, hot-wires a car, they start its engine using a piece of wire rather than the key. verb
A youth was inside the car, attempting to hot-wire it. V n
piping hot , piping-hot
Food or water that is piping hot is very hot. adj
...large cups of piping-hot coffee...
1 adj Red-hot metal or rock has been heated to such a high temperature that it has turned red.
usu ADJ n
2 adj A red-hot object is too hot to be touched safely.
In the main rooms red-hot radiators were left exposed.
3 adj Red-hot is used to describe a person or thing that is very popular, especially someone who is very good at what they do or something that is new and exciting. (JOURNALISM) usu ADJ n
Some traders are already stacking the red-hot book on their shelves.
If something is white-hot, it is extremely hot. adj
It is important to get the coals white-hot before you start.