American Heritage Dictionary Entry: hot HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com hot (hŏt) Share: Tweet adj. hot·ter, hot·test 1. a. Having or giving off heat; capable of burning. b. Being at a high temperature. 2. Being at or exhibiting a temperature that is higher than normal or desirable: a hot forehead. 3. Causing a burning sensation, as in the mouth; spicy: hot peppers; a hot curry. 4. a. Charged or energized with electricity: a hot wire. b. Radioactive or designed to use radioactive materials. 5. a. Marked by intensity of emotion; ardent or fiery: a hot temper. b. Having or displaying great enthusiasm; eager: hot for travel. 6. a. Informal Arousing intense interest, excitement, or controversy: a hot new book; a hot topic. b. Informal Marked by excited activity or energy: a hot week on the stock market. c. Violent; raging: a hot battle. 7. Slang a. Sexually attractive. b. Sexually attracted; full of desire: In this week's show, the surgeon is really hot for the new intern. c. Sexually aroused. 8. Slang a. Recently stolen: a hot car. b. Wanted by the police: a hot suspect. 9. Close to a successful solution or conclusion: hot on the trail. 10. Informal a. Most recent; new or fresh: a hot news item; the hot fashions for fall. b. Currently very popular or successful: one of the hottest young talents around. c. Requiring immediate action or attention: a hot opportunity. 11. Slang Very good or impressive. Often used in the negative: I'm not so hot at math. 12. Slang Funny or absurd: told a hot one about the neighbors' dog. 13. Slang a. Performing with great skill and daring: a hot drummer. b. Having or characterized by repeated successes: a player who is on a hot streak. c. Fast and responsive: a hot sports car. d. Unusually lucky: hot at craps. 14. Music Of, relating to, or being an emotionally charged style of performance marked by strong rhythms and improvisation: hot jazz. 15. Bold and bright. adv. 1. In a hot manner; hotly. 2. While hot: foods that are best eaten hot. tr.v. hot·ted, hot·ting, hots Informal To cause to increase in intensity or excitement. Often used with up: "His book is an exercise in the fashionable art of instant history, in which every episode is hotted up with an anecdote" (Harper's).Idioms: hot and bothered Informal In a state of agitated excitement; flustered: all hot and bothered before the opening performance. hot and heavy 1. Informal Passionate or intense: Interest in the new stock was hot and heavy. 2. Characterized by or engaging in amorous or sexual activity. hot to trot Slang 1. Sexually avid; lascivious. 2. Ready and willing; eager. hot under the collar Informal Angry. make it hot for Slang To make things uncomfortable or dangerous for: Don't make it hot for yourself by needlessly finding fault. [Middle English, from Old English hāt; see kai- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] hotness n. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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