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

Despite support from a GoFundMe campaign and grant approval from Alameda county, Horn announced in March that reopening the barbecue hot spot isn’t feasible at its original West Oakland location, which has been beset by squatters and vandals. —Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024

South Florida is a hot spot for grocery openings, with new market locations joining Publix, WInn-Dixie, Fresco y Mas, Sedano’s, Presidente, Whole Foods, Milam’s, Super Target, and a plethora of ethnic and specialty stores. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

In any case, the Santa Fe, California and Oregon trails — celebrated with the annual Santa-Cali-Gon Festival in Independence — as well as the Lewis and Clark river route, make this area the nation’s hot spot for such things. —Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024

Dogs with itchy, dry skin may exhibit symptoms such as excessive scratching, redness, flakiness, or hot spots. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

But for all the flash, there was an organic energy to it all, and Bad Bunny made LCA feel like a nightclub hot spot. —Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024

Traveling to a longevity hot spot isn’t always easy. —Julia Eskins, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024

These giant container ships traverse numerous geopolitical hot spots where actors have realized that blocking one or two ships can have a global impact that far outshines their initial outlay. —Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Sacramento firefighters were still extinguishing hot spots by 10 a.m. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 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

: an area of political, military, or civil unrest usually considered dangerous

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