hot water

noun

: a difficult or dangerous situation : trouble entry 1 sense 4
used with in or into
But this poor fellow was always getting into hot water, and if there was a wrong way of doing a thing, was sure to hit upon it.Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
In recent years, comedians have found themselves in hot water for making politically incorrect topics about everything from race to gender.James Hohmann

Examples of hot water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The New York Police Department is in hot water after an officer opened fire within a train car, injuring four people. Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 17 Sep. 2024 This post contains spoilers for Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Jennifer Affleck's husband is in hot water with her friends. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2024 The nascent technology has already been in hot water in California. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 10 Sep. 2024 Coulter pines — the divas of the conifer world — won’t release seeds unless their giant cones are submerged in hot water. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hot water 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hot water.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hot water was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near hot water

Cite this Entry

“Hot water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20water. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

hot water

noun
: a distressing situation : trouble
in hot water for not doing my chores

More from Merriam-Webster on hot water

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