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

Many cite the high costs of doing business in Los Angeles, as well the allure of government incentives in such filming hot spots as Georgia, New York, Canada and the United Kingdom. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024

Addington also said additional patrols will be deployed in hot spot areas such as Sycamore and Cavallo Road to improve police visibility and curtail violence – the team will include officers from a neighboring city. —Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024

The Olympian has Belize citizenship and visits the Central American hot spot often. —Essence, 23 Oct. 2024

This hotel is located at the center of Houston’s culture and arts hot spot. —Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 18 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