Meaning & use

hot air

phrase·Everyday

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Empty, boastful, or exaggerated talk that has no real substance or meaning.

See it in a sentence

Voters dismissed the politician's promises as nothing but hot air.

His confident claims turned out to be hot air once the project actually began.

A note on using this word

"Hot air" is used idiomatically to criticize speech that sounds impressive but leads to no real action; it also literally refers to heated air, as in a hot air balloon.

Words with a similar meaning

blusterempty talk

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