Phrase guide

hot spot

noun · 17 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɒtˌspɒt/
  • General-American: /ˈhɑtˌspɑt/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

A part of a forest fire which is burning actively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, firefighting, forestry, government

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

The surface manifestation of a plume of molten material that rises from deep in a celestial body's mantle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: astronomy, geography, geology, natural-sciences, planetology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

An area of high radioactive contamination.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: nuclear physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

Synonym of heiligenschein (“an optical phenomenon which creates a bright spot around the shadow of the viewer's head, when the surface on which the shadow falls has special optical characteristics”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, optics, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heiligenschein

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

An infected lesion in dogs or other furry mammals caused by excessive itching.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

A dangerous place of violent political unrest.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flash point, trouble spot

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

A lively and entertaining place, such as a nightclub.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

A part of an application that consumes a significant amount of execution time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

A part of a control (“an interactive interface element”) that responds dynamically as a user moves a pointer over it (for example, a part of an image map that contains a hyperlink which can be clicked on with a cursor).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

A location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, figuratively

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, networking, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: notspot

13

noun

Meaning 13

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

Ellipsis of biodiversity hotspot (“a place with a significant level of biodiversity, particularly if the flora and fauna are threatened with loss of their habitat”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, figuratively

Topics: biology, ecology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

The region of a gene in which there is a higher than normal rate of mutation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

a lively entertainment spot

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hotspot

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spot

16

noun

Meaning 16

a point of relatively intense heat or radiation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hotspot

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: point

17

noun

Meaning 17

a place of political unrest and potential violence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the United States cannot police all of the world's hot spots

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hotspot

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region

History

Etymology

From hot + spot.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Indonesian: titik panas — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Italian: punto caldo — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Malay: tompok panas — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Spanish: punto caliente — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Spanish: zona caliente — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Spanish: área caliente — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Spanish: locus caliente — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Spanish: rodal caliente — location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas
  • Indonesian: titik panas — part of a forest fire which is burning actively
  • Malay: tompok panas — part of a forest fire which is burning actively
  • Chinese Mandarin: 熱點 /热点 (rèdiǎn) — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • Finnish: kuuma kohta — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • Finnish: kuuma piste — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • French: point chaud — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • German: Hotspot — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • Japanese: ホットスポット (hottosupotto) — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • Norwegian Bokmål: varmepunkt — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • Russian: горя́чая то́чка (gorjáčaja tóčka) — surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle
  • Finnish: laskeuma-alue — area of high radioactive contamination
  • Erzya: пизэке (pizëke) — place notable for a high level of activity or danger
  • Finnish: pesäke — place notable for a high level of activity or danger
  • Indonesian: titik panas — place notable for a high level of activity or danger
  • Italian: punto caldo — place notable for a high level of activity or danger
  • Malay: tompok panas — place notable for a high level of activity or danger
  • Finnish: ruutitynnyri — dangerous place of violent political unrest
  • Finnish: kriisipesäke — dangerous place of violent political unrest
  • Italian: zona calda — dangerous place of violent political unrest
  • Russian: горя́чая то́чка (gorjáčaja tóčka) — dangerous place of violent political unrest
  • Swedish: oroshärd — dangerous place of violent political unrest
  • Finnish: menomesta — lively and entertaining place
  • Chinese Mandarin: 熱點 /热点 (rèdiǎn) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Finnish: kuuluvuusalue — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Finnish: yhteyspiste — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Georgian: უსადენო კავშირის ზონა (usadeno ḳavširis zona) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Georgian: Wi-Fi უსადენო კავშირის ზონა (Wi-Fi usadeno ḳavširis zona) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Georgian: უსადენო ქსელი (usadeno kseli) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Georgian: მობილური უსადენო ქსელი (mobiluri usadeno kseli) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • German: Hotspot — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Macedonian: пристапно место (pristapno mesto) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Malay: kawasan khas — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Māori: wāhi hono ipurangi — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Polish: hotspot — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Portuguese: ponto de acesso — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Russian: хотспот (xotspot) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Russian: точка доступа (točka dostupa) — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Spanish: punto de acceso — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Swedish: surfzon — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Swedish: uppkopplingszon — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Welsh: llecyn Wi-Fi — location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available
  • Malay: titik panas — region of a gene in which there is a higher than normal rate of mutation