hot potato
noun
: a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it
Examples of hot potato in a Sentence
He tried to avoid taking a strong stand on political hot potatoes like abortion.
Recent Examples on the Web
People who were at the party told Queen Creek police, according to a police report, that Turner first yanked a chain from Lord's friend and used it to play hot potato with other Goons.
—
Elena Santa Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2024
Gaza has been a hot potato on the campaign trail, and this is a conflict that the winning party will inherit.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety That frankness may make the film something of a hot potato for distributors, and has duly drawn protests from Spanish animal-rights groups ahead of its world premiere in competition at the San Sebastián Film Festival.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
The filmmaker and editors construct the first hour like a game of hot potato, starting on a 28-year old named Xiao Dong and jumping with each successive scene to another member of the man’s family, each one introduced with a title card linking them to the prior focus.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot potato 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Elena Santa Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2024
Gaza has been a hot potato on the campaign trail, and this is a conflict that the winning party will inherit.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety That frankness may make the film something of a hot potato for distributors, and has duly drawn protests from Spanish animal-rights groups ahead of its world premiere in competition at the San Sebastián Film Festival.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
The filmmaker and editors construct the first hour like a game of hot potato, starting on a 28-year old named Xiao Dong and jumping with each successive scene to another member of the man’s family, each one introduced with a title card linking them to the prior focus.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot potato
Dictionary Entries Near hot potato
Cite this Entry
“Hot potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20potato. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share