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
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
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
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