hot spot
noun
variants
or less commonly hotspot
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
The couple, who have been linked since 2019, were spotted at Los Angeles hot spot Giorgio Baldi on Saturday, May 25.
—
Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 28 May 2024
The Oakland Fire Department also began working with the property owner and a heavy equipment operator to pull apart the building so crews could reach any remaining hot spots, Hunt said.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 27 May 2024
Along with a cheese shop for every taste bud, two breweries, a distillery, and a farm-to-table eatery practically around each corner, Brattleboro is becoming a culinary hot spot.
—Erinne Magee, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2024
The offensive by Moscow has stretched Ukrainian forces and compelled them to redeploy units from other hot spots of the front line, weakening their defenses there.
—Constant Méheut, New York Times, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot spot 
Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 28 May 2024
The Oakland Fire Department also began working with the property owner and a heavy equipment operator to pull apart the building so crews could reach any remaining hot spots, Hunt said.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 27 May 2024
Along with a cheese shop for every taste bud, two breweries, a distillery, and a farm-to-table eatery practically around each corner, Brattleboro is becoming a culinary hot spot.
—Erinne Magee, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2024
The offensive by Moscow has stretched Ukrainian forces and compelled them to redeploy units from other hot spots of the front line, weakening their defenses there.
—Constant Méheut, New York Times, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot spot
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hot spot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hot spot
Cite this Entry
“Hot spot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20spot. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hot spot
noun
variants
also hotspot
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
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