hotspot

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablecomputing

   A place where you can connect to the internet wirelessly, often a public location like a café or airport.

   Grammar: Countable: a hotspot, two hotspots. Often used with 'Wi-Fi' or 'mobile' before it.

   Patterns

   • a Wi-Fi hotspot
   • a mobile hotspot
   • connect to a hotspot

   The hotel offers free Wi-Fi hotspots in the lobby and restaurant.

   I turned on my phone's mobile hotspot so my laptop could get online.

   We found a hotspot at the train station and checked our email.

2. 2nouncountable

   A place where a particular activity is very common or a lot of people go.

   Grammar: Countable. Often followed by 'for' or 'of': a hotspot for crime, a hotspot of activity.

   Patterns

   • a hotspot for something
   • a hotspot of something
   • a tourist hotspot

   This street is a hotspot for street food at night.

   The city has become a hotspot for young artists and musicians.

   The area is a known hotspot for pickpockets, so watch your bag.

3. 3nouncountabletechnical

   A small area that is much hotter than the area around it, especially in the earth's surface.

   Grammar: Countable. Used in geology and biology for a localized area of heat or activity.

   Patterns

   • a volcanic hotspot
   • a biodiversity hotspot

   The Hawaiian Islands were formed by a volcanic hotspot under the Pacific Ocean.

   This rainforest is a biodiversity hotspot with thousands of unique species.

   Scientists study hotspots to understand how the earth's crust moves.

Word forms

Common combinations

Wi-Fi hotspot

The café has a free Wi-Fi hotspot for customers.

tourist hotspot

The old town is a popular tourist hotspot in summer.

crime hotspot

Police are increasing patrols in crime hotspots.

biodiversity hotspot

The Amazon is one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots.

mobile hotspot

I use my phone as a mobile hotspot when I travel.

Synonyms and how they differ

hot spot

A less common spelling of the same word, often used for the geological sense.

hub

A hub is a central place for an activity; a hotspot emphasizes high activity or popularity, not necessarily centrality.

magnet

Used figuratively for a place that attracts people; a hotspot is more neutral and factual.

Word family

hot adjective

Having a high temperature; also used for a place that is popular or exciting.

spot noun

A small round mark or a particular place.

Commonly confused: hotspot or hot spot?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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