hot

/hɑt/

/hɒt/

Other forms: hottest; hotter

Hot is the opposite of cold. This could mean a hot day in July, a baseball team on a hot streak, or a hot bikini model.

Most meanings of hot have to do with heat: what makes us sweat. A stove can be red hot. Spicy food is hot, and newspapers used to be "hot off the presses" because the printing process actually warmed the paper. New things are often referred to as hot — like a hot new band. Stolen property is also called hot because you can't hold onto it too long or it will burn you — though perhaps not in the usual way.

Definitions of hot
  1. adjective
    used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
    “hot stove”
    “hot water”
    “a hot August day”
    “a hot stuffy room”
    “she's hot and tired”
    “a hot forehead”
    Synonyms:
    baking, baking hot
    as hot as if in an oven
    blistering, blistery
    hot enough to raise (or as if to raise) blisters
    calefacient, warming
    producing the sensation of heat when applied to the body
    calefactive, calefactory
    serving to heat
    calorifacient
    producing heat; usually used of foods
    calorific
    heat-generating
    fervent, fervid, scalding, searing
    extremely hot
    fiery, igneous
    like or suggestive of fire
    heatable
    capable of becoming hot
    heated, heated up, het, het up
    made warm or hot (`het' is a dialectal variant of `heated')
    hottish
    somewhat hot
    overheated
    heated beyond a safe or desirable point
    red-hot
    glowing red with heat
    scorching
    hot and dry enough to burn or parch a surface
    sizzling
    hot enough to burn with or as if with a hissing sound
    stifling, sulfurous, sulphurous, sultry
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    sweltering, sweltry
    excessively hot and humid or marked by sweating and faintness
    thermal
    caused by or designed to retain heat
    torrid
    extremely hot
    tropic, tropical
    of weather or climate; hot and humid as in the tropics
    white, white-hot
    glowing white with heat
    warm
    having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    cold
    having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
    frozen
    turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
    acold
    of persons; feeling cold
    algid
    chilly
    arctic, frigid, gelid, glacial, icy, polar
    extremely cold
    bleak, cutting, raw
    unpleasantly cold and damp
    chilly, parky
    appreciably or disagreeably cold
    crisp, frosty, nipping, nippy, snappy
    pleasantly cold and invigorating
    frigorific
    causing cold; cooling or chilling
    frore
    very cold
    frosty, rimed, rimy
    covered with frost
    heatless
    without generating heat
    ice-cold
    as cold as ice
    refrigerant, refrigerating
    causing cooling or freezing
    refrigerated
    made or kept cold by refrigeration
    shivery
    cold enough to cause shivers
    stone-cold
    completely cold
    unheated, unwarmed
    not having been heated or warmed
    cool
    neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    producing a burning sensation on the taste nerves
    “hot salsa”
    “jalapeno peppers are very hot”
    synonyms: spicy
    tasty
    pleasing to the sense of taste
  3. adjective
    extended meanings; especially of psychological heat; marked by intensity or vehemence especially of passion or enthusiasm
    “a hot temper”
    “a hot topic”
    “a hot new book”
    “a hot argument”
    Synonyms:
    fiery, flaming
    very intense
    heated
    marked by emotional heat; vehement
    red-hot, sizzling
    characterized by intense emotion or interest or excitement
    sensual, sultry
    sexually exciting or gratifying
    torrid
    emotionally charged and vigorously energetic
    white-hot
    intensely zealous or fervid
    passionate
    having or expressing strong emotions
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    cold
    extended meanings; especially of psychological coldness; without human warmth or emotion
    emotionless, passionless
    unmoved by feeling
    frigid, frosty, frozen, glacial, icy, wintry
    devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
    passionless
    not passionate
    cool
    psychologically cool and unenthusiastic; unfriendly or unresponsive or showing dislike
    show more antonyms...
  4. adjective
    characterized by violent and forceful activity or movement; very intense
    “the fighting became hot and heavy”
    “a hot engagement”
    synonyms: raging
    violent
    acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
  5. adjective
    (color) bold and intense
    “hot pink”
    Synonyms:
    warm
    (color) inducing the impression of warmth; used especially of reds and oranges and yellows
  6. adjective
    marked by excited activity
    “a hot week on the stock market”
    Synonyms:
    active
    characterized by energetic activity
  7. adjective
    sexually excited or exciting
    Synonyms:
    sexy
    marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest
  8. adjective
    having or showing great eagerness or enthusiasm
    “hot for travel”
    Synonyms:
    agog, eager, keen
    having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
  9. adjective
    of a seeker; very near to the object sought
    Synonyms:
    close, near, nigh
    not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
  10. adjective
    performed or performing with unusually great skill and daring and energy
    “a hot drummer”
    “he's hot tonight”
    Synonyms:
    skilled
    having or showing or requiring special skill
  11. adjective
    very fast; capable of quick response and great speed
    “a hot sports car”
    “got off to a hot start”
    “in hot pursuit”
    “a red- hot line drive”
    synonyms: blistering, red-hot
    fast
    acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly
  12. adjective
    having or bringing unusually good luck
    “hot at craps”
    “the dice are hot tonight”
    Synonyms:
    lucky
    having or bringing good fortune
  13. adjective
    very good; often used in the negative
    “he's hot at math but not so hot at history”
    Synonyms:
    good
    having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
  14. adjective
    very popular or successful
    “one of the hot young talents”
    “cabbage patch dolls were hot last season”
    Synonyms:
    popular
    regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
  15. adjective
    newest or most recent
    “news hot off the press”
    “red- hot information”
    synonyms: red-hot
    new
    not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
  16. adjective
    newly made
    “a hot scent”
    Synonyms:
    fresh
    recently made, produced, or harvested
  17. adjective
    recently stolen or smuggled
    “hot merchandise”
    “a hot car”
    Synonyms:
    illegal
    prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules
  18. adjective
    wanted by the police
    “a hot suspect”
    Synonyms:
    wanted
    desired or wished for or sought
  19. adjective
    having or dealing with dangerously high levels of radioactivity
    “hot fuel rods”
    “a hot laboratory”
    Synonyms:
    radioactive
    exhibiting or caused by radioactivity
  20. adjective
    charged or energized with electricity
    “a hot wire”
    synonyms: live
    charged
    of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
  21. adjective
    very unpleasant or even dangerous
    “make it hot for him”
    “in the hot seat”
    “in hot water”
    Synonyms:
    unpleasant
    disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings
Pronunciation
US

/hɑt/
UK

/hɒt/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘hot'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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