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

Since Sheinbaum entered office in October, succeeding her mentor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO, the Mexican army and National Guard have been on the offensive in some of the country’s major hot spots. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025

Use shallow containers for even heating: Shallow containers allow heat to distribute more evenly, reducing the risk of hot spots. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2025

The arrest follows a spate of terrorism warnings from the U.S. government, with national security officials pointing to a system that's blinking red in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel and the emergence of terrorism hot spots in Central Asia. —Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2025

Listen to this article Spring Breakers are coming to Fort Lauderdale, one of the nation’s hot spots for the annual spring ritual that sees college students head for bikini-weather coasts in search of paradise. —Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Rhymes for hot spot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

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