hot spot

noun

variants or less commonly hotspot

ˈhät-ˌspät 

plural hot spots also hotspots

1

: a place of more than usual interest, activity, or popularity

birding hot spots

2

: a place in the upper mantle of the earth at which hot magma from the lower mantle upwells to melt through the crust usually in the interior of a tectonic plate to form a volcanic feature

also : a place in the crust overlying a hot spot

3

a

: an area of political, military, or civil unrest usually considered dangerous

global hot spots

b

: a place or area (such as a city or region of a country) where there is an elevated prevalence or increased transmission risk of a disease

The city became a COVID-19 hot spot.

4

: a place where a wireless Internet connection is available

5

: an inflamed patch of moist infected skin on a domestic animal and especially a dog

Examples of hot spot in a Sentence

The new restaurant is the latest hot spot in town.

This part of the country is a hot spot of rebel activity.

Recent Examples on the Web

This West Allis Kwik Trip location has been a hot spot for lottery wins in 2024. —Adrienne Davis, Journal Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2024

Michigan has been a hot spot of U.S. politics as one of the swing states that shifted right and delivered a narrow victory for President-elect Donald Trump. —David K. Li, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024

The three forces make this a hot spot of potential disclosure risk—new reporting standards and regulations, entirely new processes and investors gaining easy access to the reported data. —Martha Amram, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

As previously reported by The Times, industry insiders and experts overwhelmingly agree that relatively weak incentives are the main reason California is losing significant ground to Georgia, New York, Canada, the United Kingdom and other filming hot spots around the world. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Kids Definition

hot spot

noun

1

: a place of more than normal interest, activity, or popularity

surfing hot spots

2

: a place where hot magma from the earth's interior rises through the mantle and crust to form a volcanic feature

3

a

: an area of political, military, or civil unrest usually considered dangerous

b

: a place where a disease is especially prevalent

4

: a place where a wireless Internet connection is available

Medical Definition

hot spot

noun

variants also hotspot

ˈhät-ˌspät 

1

: a patch of painful moist inflamed skin on a domestic animal and especially a dog that starts as a response to a skin irritant (as an allergen or an insect or tick bite), that is rapidly worsened by scratching, chewing, or licking the affected area, and that may become seriously infected if not promptly cleaned and medicated

2

: a place or area (as a city or region of a country) where there is an elevated prevalence or an increased transmission risk of a disease (as cholera, diabetes, or malaria)

3

: a site in genetic material (as DNA or a chromosome) having a high frequency of mutation or recombination