- 1 having a high temperature; producing heat Do you like this hot weather? It's hot today, isn't it? It was hot and getting hotter. It was the hottest July on record. a hot dry summer Be careful—the plates are hot. All rooms have hot and cold water. a hot bath a hot meal (= one that has been cooked) I couldn't live in a hot country (= one which has high average temperatures). Cook in a very hot oven. Eat it while it's hot. I touched his forehead. He felt hot and feverish. see also baking, boiling hot, piping hot, red-hot, white-hot Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry See related entries: Other geographic regions, Describing geographic regions
- 2 (of a person) feeling heat in an unpleasant or uncomfortable way Is anyone too hot? I feel hot. Her cheeks were hot with embarrassment. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry
- 3 making you feel hot London was hot and dusty. a long hot journey Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, get, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry food with spices
- 4 containing pepper and spices and producing a burning feeling in your mouth hot spicy food You can make a curry hotter simply by adding chillies. hot mustard opposite mild Wordfindertastebitter, bland, hot, pungent, savoury, sour, spicy, sweet, tart, taste Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, taste adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry See related entries: Taste of food causing strong feelings
- 5involving a lot of activity, argument or strong feelings Today we enter the hottest phase of the election campaign. The environment has become a very hot issue. Competition is getting hotter day by day. difficult/dangerous
- 6difficult or dangerous to deal with and making you feel worried or uncomfortable When things got too hot most journalists left the area. They're making life hot for her. popular
- 7(informal) new, exciting and very popular This is one of the hottest clubs in town. They are one of this year's hot new bands. The couple are Hollywood's hottest property. news
- 8fresh, very recent and usually exciting I've got some hot gossip for you! a story that is hot off the press (= has just appeared in the newspapers) tip/favourite
- 9[only before noun] likely to be successful She seems to be the hot favourite for the job. Do you have any hot tips for today's race? good at something/knowing a lot
- 10[not before noun] hot at/on something (informal) very good at doing something; knowing a lot about something Don't ask me—I'm not too hot on British history. anger
- 11if somebody has a hot temper they become angry very easily See related entries: Anger sexual excitement
- 12feeling or causing sexual excitement You were as hot for me as I was for you. I've got a hot date tonight. shocking/critical
- 13containing scenes, statements, etc. that are too shocking or too critical and are likely to cause anger or disapproval Some of the nude scenes were regarded as too hot for Broadway. The report was highly critical of senior members of the Cabinet and was considered too hot to publish. see also hot stuff strict
- 14[not before noun] hot on something thinking that something is very important and making sure that it always happens or is done They're very hot on punctuality at work. music
- 15(of music, especially jazz) having a strong and exciting rhythm goods
- 16stolen and difficult to get rid of because they can easily be recognized I'd never have touched those CDs if I'd known they were hot. in children’s games
- 17[not before noun] used in children’s games to say that the person playing is very close to finding a person or thing, or to guessing the correct answer You're getting hot! More Like This Consonant-doubling adjectives big, drab, fat, fit, flat, hot, mad, red, sad, wetSee worksheet. Word OriginOld English hāt, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch heet and German heiss.Extra examples Don’t you feel hot so close to the fire? His face grew hot at the memory of his embarrassment. His forehead was burning hot. I love really hot food. I was boiling hot and sweaty. It was unbearably hot in the car. Make sure the fat is sizzling hot. Serve hot or cold accompanied by bread and a salad. She was beginning to get uncomfortably hot. That was a pretty hot curry! The containers keep the food hot for five hours. The food should stay hot until we’re ready to eat. The ground was hot enough to fry an egg on. The sun shone fiercely down and it grew hotter and hotter. This weather’s a bit hot for me. Wash the tablecloth in fairly hot soapy water. a boiling hot summer day a bowl of piping hot soup white-hot metal Eat it while it’s hot. He brought out a plate of sausages covered in hot mustard. Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. I couldn’t live in a hot country. I touched his forehead. It was burning hot. I was feeling a bit hot so I went outside for a moment. I’ll feel better after a hot bath. It had been a long hot journey. It’s hot today, isn’t it? Leave the pie in the oven for about half an hour, until piping hot. The canteen provides hot meals as well as salads and snacks. The couple are Hollywood’s hottest property. They are one of this year’s hot new bands on the rock scene.Idioms
- 1to be very enthusiastic about starting an activity
- 2to be excited in a sexual way
- 1not very good in quality Her spelling isn't too hot.
- 2not feeling well ‘How are you today?’ ‘Not so hot, I'm afraid.’
adjective jump to other results
BrE BrE//hɒt//; NAmE NAmE//hɑːt//
(hotter, hottest) Other geographic regions, Describing geographic regions, Anger, Taste of food(informal) to be in or get into trouble
(informal) to change your opinion about something often
to experience a sudden feeling of fear or anxiety When the phone rang I just went hot and cold. See related entries: Fear
to sell quickly or in great numbers
(informal) in a state of anxiety or confusion because you are under too much pressure, have a problem, are trying to hurry, etc.
following somebody/something very closely He turned and fled with Peter hot on his heels. Further successes came hot on the heels of her first best-selling novel.
(informal) close to catching or finding the person or thing that you have been chasing or searching for
(informal) angry or embarrassed He got very hot under the collar when I asked him where he'd been all day. See related entries: Embarrassment
following somebody closely and determined to catch them She sped away in her car with journalists in hot pursuit.
like a cat on hot bricks (British English) North American English like a cat on a hot tin roof jump to other results
very close behind somebody/something; very soon after something News of rising unemployment followed hard on the heels of falling export figures. He ran ahead, with the others hot on his heels
(saying) to make use of an opportunity immediately This expression refers to a blacksmith making a shoe for a horse. He has to strike/hammer the iron while it is hot enough to bend into the shape of the shoe.
Check pronunciation: hot
