Etimology
From Middle English hot, hat, from Old English hāt, from Proto-Germanic *haitaz (“hot”), from Proto-Indo-European *kay- (“hot; to heat”). Cognate with Scots hate, hait (“hot”), North Frisian hiet (“hot”), Saterland Frisian heet (“hot”), West Frisian hjit (“hot”), Dutch heet (“hot”), Low German het (“hot”), German Low German heet (“hot”), German heiß (“hot”), Danish hed (“hot”), Swedish het (“hot”), Icelandic heitur (“hot”).
adjective
hot (comparative hotter, superlative hottest)
Relating to heat and conditions which produce it.
Active, in use or ready for use (like a bullet or a firing range), turned on (like a microphone or camera).
(figurative) Relating to excited emotions.
Relating to popularity, quality, or the state of being interesting.
Relating to danger or risk.
Very close to finding or guessing something to be found or guessed.
(of food) Spicy, pungent, piquant, as some chilis and other spices are.
(of an electric musical instrument) Loud, producing a strong electric signal for the amplifier.
(slang) Used to emphasize the short duration or small quantity of something
(slang, of a vehicle or aircraft) Extremely fast or with great speed.
Examples
He forgot that the frying pan was hot and burned his hand.
It is too hot to be outside.
It is hotter in summer than in winter.
There was also hairdressing: hairdressing, too, really was hairdressing in those times — no running a comb through it and that was that. It was curled, frizzed, waved, put in curlers overnight, waved with hot tongs; […].
I was so hot from being in the sun too long.
Aren't you hot with that thick coat on?
The microphone was hot and the show was on the air.
So I just blurted out, "This is really a fucking way to make a living, huh?" […] The microphone was hot, and I knew I was in trouble. The radio management came to my house and suspended me immediately.
I leaned forward, still ogling, thinking the camera was off me until the end of the song, but then on went the little red light that meant my camera was hot ...
"Your range is hot, corporal. Wind unchanged. You've got your dope. Fire at will," Hacksaw said, snapping the camera as fast as the motor drive could run ...
I join the space-to-ground channel to warn Terry that his mic is hot and that everyone with an internet connection or tuned to NASA TV can hear every word ...
"The range is hot, chief. Fire at will." Alex says with a smile as he steps back and puts his shooting ear muffs on. "I'm going to shoot, major."
I run an inventory, verify all bullets are hot in the chamber. They are. But the showroom prosthetics have all exited attraction mode.
a hot wire
Be careful, he has a hot temper and may take it out on you.
That stripper is hot!
There was only one problem. Paul was HIV positive. And just a few weeks after his hot encounter with Max, a letter arrived for him, containing some legalese about HIV infection being a criminal act, with a few chilling words
Enough foreplay! You’ve gotten me so hot already!
hot for her English teacher
He's a hot young player, we should give him a trial.
This new pickup is so hot we can't keep it in stock!
a hot topic
The bluebloods of golf began pouring into the sweltering nation’s capital yesterday for the 64th U.S. Open championship, and the hottest topic was not Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus, but Champagne Tony Lema.
"Keep going! You're hot tonight!" urged Wally.
The ball lands on the fairway, just a couple of yards in front of the green. "Nice shot Sarah! You're hot today!" Jenny says.
A kid can stand in the street and sell newspapers, if the headlines are hot.
Some of these publications show signs of hasty production, indicating that they were written while the news was hot.
The car sped along. She kept her foot permanently on the accelerator, and took every corner at an acute angle. Two motorists we passed looked out of their windows outraged as she swept by, and one pedestrian in a lane waved his stick at her. I felt rather hot for her. She did not seem to notice though. I crouched lower in my seat.
I've been living here a few weeks and it's starting to get a little hot for me … I've written myself out of several states in the last six years.
The police are looking for an anarchist who answers my description, seen leaving the house the day before the fire; there was an explosion […] So what with one thing and another, His Grace thinks the country a little hot for me now
"Things are a little hot for us in San Francisco. We'll burn the vardo at Drake's Bay and then head to your place." "Things are hot, so you're heading to my place?" "Hot's not a big deal. Just a matter of jurisdiction and time.
I'd also thought things might have gotten a little hot for him in Atlantic City, so he'd moved West to its bigger, badder cousin, where he wasn't as well known
I wouldn't speed through here if I was you. This area is hot this time of night.
hot merchandise
The camera was hot. Buying a hot camera was a parole violation.
I wouldn't trust him. He gave me a hot check last week.
Am I warm yet? — You're hot!
He was hot on her tail.
This kind of chili pepper is way too hot for my taste.
He was finished in a hot minute.
I dated him for a hot second.
Brace yourselves; we're going in a little hot!
That plane's coming in hot!
a hot pass
Related words
synonyms
(having a high temperature): heated; see also Thesaurus:hot
(of the weather): baking, boiling, boiling hot, sultry, sweltering
(feeling the sensation of heat): baking, boiling, boiling hot
(feverish): feverish, having a temperature
(spicy): piquant, spicy, tangy
(slang: stolen): stolen
(electrically charged): live
(radioactive): radioactive
(slang: physically or sexually attractive): attractive, beautiful, cute, fit, foxy, gorgeous, handsome, hunky, lush, pretty, sexy, studly, tasty, yummy
(of a draft/check): rubber, bad
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "having a high temperature"): chilled, chilly, cold, cold as ice, freezing, freezing cold, frigid, glacial, ice-cold, icy
(antonym(s) of "of the weather"): cold, freezing, freezing cold, icy
(antonym(s) of "feeling the sensation of heat"): freezing, freezing cold
(antonym(s) of "spicy"): bland, mild
(antonym(s) of "electrically charged"): neutral, dead
(antonym(s) of "slang"): lifeless
adverb
hot (comparative hotter, superlative hottest)
Hotly, at a high temperature.
Rapidly, quickly.
(especially in the phrase "come in hot", "go in hot") While shooting, while firing one's weapon(s).
Examples
Oak burns hot and lasts a long time. Its smoke is a medium to heavy flavor but not too overpowering. It leaves a buttersmooth, nutty finish.
Whatever happened, braking into the next-to-last hairpin, a blue-sky turn called Cog Cut, Durelle went in too hot.
He went in hotter than he could have, the Cforce snugging him into the bucket seat. At the first switchback, there was already a hundred-foot drop-off […]
He rolled over on his belly and raised up enough to see the second chopper coming in hotter, more deliberately than the first. Hollister grabbed Jrae by the ...
They were coming in hotter than Dash liked, nose down toward the watery surface […]
“When landing on dirt, gravel, or pavement, you'll be coming in hotter, faster than a runway made of grass, so try and keep that in mind.
"You're coming in hotter than we'd like." "Roger that, Huygens, increasing reverse thrust by 20%."
We would pop over the riverbank and come down hot on a designated target. […] We started rolling in hot with rockets, then suddenly we started taking fire from the […]
"Shakedown is rolling in hot in Nakhoney right now. You're just in time. They've been getting shot at and are in overwatch for India 21 patrolling," […]
verb
hot (third-person singular simple present hots, present participle hotting, simple past and past participle hotted)
(with up) To heat; to make or become hot.
(with up) To become lively or exciting.
Examples
Turf war's hotting up.
Related words
synonyms
hot up; heat, heat up