Meaning & use
hot press
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A machine that uses heat and pressure to press clothes, fabric, or other materials.
Grammar: Countable: a hot press, the hot press.
Patterns
- a hot press
- use a hot press
The dry cleaner uses a hot press to finish the shirts.
A hot press can smooth out wrinkles quickly.
She bought a small hot press for her sewing room.
nouncountableBritish
A heated cupboard, especially in a British home, used for airing or drying clothes.
Grammar: Countable, often with the: put the towels in the hot press.
Patterns
- in the hot press
- the hot press
The sheets are in the hot press.
She hung the damp clothes in the hot press to dry.
The hot press is next to the bathroom.
Word forms
| plural | hot presses |
|---|
Common combinations
- put something in the hot press
- Put the wet towels in the hot press.
- use a hot press
- You should use a hot press to get a crisp finish.
- hot press machine
- The factory uses a hot press machine to laminate the panels.
Synonyms and how they differ
- airing cupboard
- Airing cupboard is the more common British term for a heated cupboard for drying clothes; hot press is used especially in Irish English.
- press
- Press is a general word for a machine that presses; hot press specifies that heat is used.
Word family
- press verb
- To push something firmly.
Commonly confused: hot press or hot press (printing)?
hot press vs hot press (printing)
In printing, hot press can refer to a method of pressing paper with heat to give a smooth finish.
Practice
In a British home, where would you look for a hot press?
Choose one answer.
A hot press is typically an airing cupboard, often located in or near the bathroom, used for drying clothes. It is not usually in the kitchen, bedroom, or hallway.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hot press”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.