hot

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Having a high temperature, giving off a lot of heat.

   Grammar: Comparative hotter, superlative hottest.

   Patterns

   • be hot
   • hot from something

   The soup is too hot to eat.

   It was a hot, sticky afternoon.

   Be careful, the pan is hot.

2. 2adjectivecomparable

   Containing spices that make your mouth burn.

   Grammar: Describes food: hot sauce, hot curry.

   Patterns

   • a hot curry

   This curry is too hot for me.

   She added hot sauce to her eggs.

   The salsa was surprisingly hot.

3. 3adjectivecomparableinformal

   Very popular, in demand, or exciting at the moment.

   Grammar: Informal; often used for trends: hot topic.

   Patterns

   • a hot topic
   • the hot new thing

   That band is the hottest ticket in town.

   Climate policy is a hot topic this year.

   Electric bikes are hot right now.

4. 4adjectivecomparable

   Showing strong feelings, especially anger or eagerness.

   Grammar: Appears in phrases like hot temper and hot debate.

   Patterns

   • a hot temper

   He has a hot temper and loses patience quickly.

   The meeting turned into a hot debate.

   She was hot with anger.

5. 5adjectivecomparableinformal

   Very recent or fresh, as news or a trail you are following.

   Grammar: Often hot news, hot on the trail.

   Patterns

   • hot off the press

   Here is some hot news from the office.

   The detectives were hot on the trail.

   The book is hot off the press.

6. 6adjectivecomparableslang

   Attractive in a way that stirs desire.

   Grammar: Slang; casual and sometimes unwelcome, so use with care.

   Patterns

   • look hot

   Everyone said her new look was hot.

   That car looks hot.

   He thought the actor was hot.

Word forms

Common combinations

hot weather

Drink water in hot weather.

hot topic

Pay equality is a hot topic.

hot water

There was no hot water this morning.

hot temper

His hot temper got him into trouble.

hot tip

She gave me a hot tip about the stock.

piping hot

The pie arrived piping hot.

Synonyms and how they differ

warm

Warm is milder and pleasant, whereas hot is more intense and can be uncomfortable.

scorching

Scorching is much stronger and describes extreme heat.

spicy

Spicy describes flavor but not necessarily burning, while hot suggests more burn.

trendy

Trendy means currently fashionable, but hot means in strong demand.

Opposites

Word family

heat noun

warmth or high temperature

hotly adverb

in an intense, angry way

hotness noun

the state of being hot

hotter adjective

comparative form

overheat verb

to become too hot

Commonly confused: hot or hotter?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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