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hotshot

/ˌhɑtˈʃɑt/

/ˈhɒtʃɒt/

Other forms: hotshots

If you're a hotshot, you're extremely good at one particular thing. A young chess hotshot might win every game within the first few moves.

Hotshot is an informal word for an expert or a whiz. The math hotshot in your calculus class is probably the first person whose hand is raised to answer the teacher's question, and several colleges will no doubt try to recruit a high school basketball hotshot. While hotshot gained this meaning in the 1930s, it originally meant "reckless person," and briefly, in the 1920s, "fast train."

Definitions of hotshot
  1. noun
    someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
    synonyms: ace, adept, champion, genius, maven, mavin, sensation, star, superstar, virtuoso, whiz, whizz, wiz, wizard
    see moresee less
    types:
    track star
    a star runner
    type of:
    expert
    a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘hotshot'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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