hot

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈhɒt/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/hɑt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(hot)

Inflections of 'hot' (adj):
hotter
adj comparative
hottest
adj superlative
Inflections of 'hot' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
hots
v 3rd person singular
hotting
v pres p
hotted
v past
hotted
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hot /hɑt/USA pronunciation   adj., hot•ter, hot•test, n. 
adj. 
  1. having or giving off heat;
    having a high temperature:hot coffee.
  2. Physiology having or causing a feeling of great bodily heat:[be + ~]He was hot with fever.
  3. peppery;
    spicy:Is this mustard hot?
  4. having or showing strong, intense, or violent feeling:[usually: before a noun]has a hot temper.
  5. Slang Terms
    • sexually aroused.
    • sexy;
      attractive.
  6. violent, furious, or intense:the hottest battle of the war.
  7. strong or fresh, as a scent or trail.
  8. new;
    fresh:news hot off the press.
  9. [ usually: be + ~] following very closely;
    close:The search party was hot on their trail.
  10. Informal Termsvery good:The movie was not so hot; a hot new idea.
  11. knowing a lot about something;
    expert:[be + ~ + on/at]She was pretty hot on computer programming.
  12. extremely intense:[before an adjective of color]a hot pink bathrobe.
  13. Informal Termscurrently popular or in demand:the hottest new styles of clothing.
  14. Slang Termsperforming well or winningly:He was on a hot streak (= He was winning because he was lucky).
  15. Slang Termsfunny;
    laughable;
    absurd:That's a hot one!
  16. Slang Terms
    • stolen recently or otherwise illegal and dangerous to possess:hot jewels.
    • [ usually: be + ~] wanted by the police.
    • [be + ~] dangerous;
      risky:That deal is too hot for me to handle.
    • [be + ~] unpleasant:The cops have made things hot for him.
  17. Informal Terms[ be + ~ + to + verb]eager:hot to get started.
  18. Electricityactively conducting an electric current or containing a high voltage:a hot wire.
  19. Physicsradioactive.

adv. 
  1. while hot:Serve the fish hot from the oven.

n. 
  1. Slang Terms the hots, [plural] [~ (+ for + object)]strong sexual desire or attraction.
Idioms
  1. Idioms, Informal Terms (all) hot and bothered, [Informal.]excited, aroused, or confused and worried.
  2. Idioms, Informal Terms hot and heavy, [Informal.]in an intense, vehement manner:arguing hot and heavy.
  3. Idioms hot under the collar, [Informal.]angry;
    upset.

hot•ness, n. [uncountable]]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
hot  (hot),USA pronunciation adj., hot•ter, hot•test, adv., v., hot•ted, hot•ting, n. 
adj. 
  1. having or giving off heat;
    having a high temperature:a hot fire; hot coffee.
  2. Physiologyhaving or causing a sensation of great bodily heat;
    attended with or producing such a sensation:He was hot with fever.
  3. creating a burning sensation, as on the skin or in the throat:This ointment is hot, so apply it sparingly.
  4. sharply peppery or pungent:Is this mustard hot?
  5. having or showing intense or violent feeling;
    ardent;
    fervent;
    vehement;
    excited:a hot temper.
  6. Informal Termshaving a strong enthusiasm;
    eager:a hot baseball fan.
  7. Slang Terms
    • Slang Termssexually aroused;
      lustful.
    • Slang Termssexy;
      attractive.
  8. violent, furious, or intense:the hottest battle of the war.
  9. strong or fresh, as a scent or trail.
  10. absolutely new;
    fresh:a dozen new mystery stories hot from the press.
  11. requiring immediate delivery or correspondence;
    demanding priority:The hot freight must be delivered by 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, or we'll lose the contract.
  12. Slang Termsskillful in a reckless or daring way:a hot pilot.
  13. following very closely;
    close:to be hot on the trail of a thief.
  14. (of colors) extremely intense:hot pink.
  15. Informal Termspopular and commercially successful;
    in demand;
    marketable:The Beatles were a hot group in the 1960s.
  16. Slang Termsextremely lucky, good, or favorable:A poker player has to have a hot hand to win the pot.
  17. Sport, Slang Terms[Slang.](in sports and games) playing well or winningly;
    scoring effectively:a hot pitcher.
  18. Slang Termsfunny;
    absurd:That's a hot one!
  19. Gamesclose to the object or answer that is being sought.
  20. Informal Termsextremely exciting or interesting;
    sensational or scandalous:a hot news story.
  21. Music and Dance[Jazz.]
    • (of music) emotionally intense, propulsive, and marked by aggressive attack and warm, full tone.
    • (of a musician) skilled in playing hot jazz.
  22. Informal Terms(of a vehicle) capable of attaining extremely high speeds:a hot new jet plane.
  23. Slang Terms
    • stolen recently or otherwise illegal and dangerous to possess:a hot diamond necklace.
    • wanted by the police.
    • dangerous.
  24. Informal Termsin the mood to perform exceedingly well, or rapidly, as during a burst of creative work:Finish writing that story while you're still hot.
  25. Electricityactively conducting an electric current or containing a high voltage:a hot wire.
  26. Physicsof, pertaining to, or noting radioactivity.
  27. Metallurgynoting any process involving plastic deformation of a metal at a temperature high enough to permit recrystallization due to the strain:hot working.
  28. Sport, Slang Terms get hot, [Slang.](in sports and games) to become very effective or successful;
    score or win repeatedly or easily.
  29. Informal Terms hot and bothered, excited, aroused, or flustered:This mistake isn't worth getting hot and bothered about.Also, all hot and bothered. 
  30. Idioms hot under the collar. See collar (def. 16).
  31. Informal Terms, Idioms make it hot for, to make something unpleasant for;
    cause trouble for:Ever since their argument the principal has been making it hot for the new teacher.

adv. 
  1. in a hot manner;
    hotly.
  2. while hot:Garnish the potatoes with parsley and serve hot.
  3. Metallurgyat a temperature high enough to permit recrystallization:The wire was drawn hot.
  4. Informal Terms hot and heavy, in an intense, vehement, or passionate manner:They argued hot and heavy for 20 minutes.

v.t., v.i. 
  1. British Terms[Chiefly Brit. Informal.]to heat;
    warm (usually fol. by up).

n. 
  1. Slang Terms the hots, intense sexual desire or attraction.
  • bef. 1000; 1920–25 for def. 23; Middle English ho(o)t, Old English hāt; cognate with Dutch heet, Old Norse heitr, Swedish het, Danish hed, German heiss
hot′ly, adv. 
hot′ness, n. 
    1. heated; fiery, burning, scorching; scalding, boiling; torrid, sultry. 4. biting, piquant, sharp, spicy. 5. fervid; fiery, passionate, intense, excitable, impetuous; angry, furious, irate, violent.
    1. cold.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
hot /hɒt/ adj (hotter, hottest)
  1. having a relatively high temperature
  2. having a temperature higher than desirable
  3. causing or having a sensation of bodily heat
  4. causing a burning sensation on the tongue: hot mustard, a hot curry
  5. expressing or feeling intense emotion, such as embarrassment, anger, or lust
  6. intense or vehement
  7. recent; fresh; new: a hot trial, hot from the press
  8. (of a ball) thrown or struck hard, and so difficult to respond to
  9. much favoured or approved: a hot tip, a hot favourite
  10. informal having a dangerously high level of radioactivity
  11. slang (of goods or money) stolen, smuggled, or otherwise illegally obtained
  12. slang (of a person) being sought by the police
  13. (of a colour) intense; striking: hot pink
  14. close or following closely: hot on the scent
  15. (of a camera, microphone, etc) in operation
  16. informal at a dangerously high electric potential
  17. slang impressive or good of its kind (esp in the phrase not so hot)
  18. slang arousing great excitement or enthusiasm by inspired improvisation, strong rhythms, etc
  19. informal dangerous or unpleasant (esp in the phrase make it hot for someone)
  20. (in various searching or guessing games) very near the answer or object to be found
  21. (of a process) at a sufficiently high temperature for metal to be in a soft workable state
  22. Austral NZ informal (of a price, charge, etc) excessive
  23. hot on ⇒ informal
    • very severe: the police are hot on drunk drivers
    • particularly skilled at or knowledgeable about
  24. hot under the collar ⇒ informal aroused with anger, annoyance, etc
  25. in hot water ⇒ informal in trouble, esp with those in authority
 adv
  1. in a hot manner; hotly
Etymology: Old English hāt; related to Old High German heiz, Old Norse heitr, Gothic heito feverˈhotly adv ˈhotness n
'hot' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Aguascalientes - all-dressed - Arabian camel - archaean - back - bain-marie - bake - baked Alaska - baste - Bath - beastly - beat down - berg wind - bird's-eye chilli - blooded - Bloody Mary - blow - blowtorch - boiler - brass - broil - broiler - burn - cake - carbon monoxide - carry out - cat - caudle - cauldron - cauterize - cayenne pepper - charlotte - chilli - cinnabar - cobbler - cocoa - Colombia - continental climate - cry - curry - dabba - dalgona coffee - dead - deep-fry - diathermancy - dog days - doughnut - eggnog - enchilada - Eritrea
Collocations: hot [water, air, weather, food], the [water] is (too) hot, a hot [bath, shower, tub], more...

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