1
as in rhetoric
boastful speech or writing
his taking credit for the rescue was mostly hot air, since the boat was actually saved by the Coast Guard
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2
as in wind
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
her campaign promise to "fight for the people" showed a taste for stale hot air
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of hot air
High pressure systems in the upper atmosphere typically drive all of California’s major heat waves, creating a lid over an area as air sinks — a phenomenon sometimes referred to as a heat dome — which prevents hot air from rising, essentially trapping it.
—
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Take a tethered hot air balloon ride, watch the ponies or duel a knight this weekend.
—Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 21 Nov. 2024
Hot summer:Seventh-driest monsoon season ends in Phoenix with a burst of hot air, no more rain
How does rapid intensification make storms more dangerous?
Storms that rapidly intensify can be more dangerous and cause significant damage to everything in their path.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 27 Sep. 2024
Climate, conflict, hunger and US politics The amount of hot air from the speeches could turn the UN into one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases next week.
—Richard Roth, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot air 
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Take a tethered hot air balloon ride, watch the ponies or duel a knight this weekend.
—Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 21 Nov. 2024
Hot summer:Seventh-driest monsoon season ends in Phoenix with a burst of hot air, no more rain
How does rapid intensification make storms more dangerous?
Storms that rapidly intensify can be more dangerous and cause significant damage to everything in their path.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 27 Sep. 2024
Climate, conflict, hunger and US politics The amount of hot air from the speeches could turn the UN into one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases next week.
—Richard Roth, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot air
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hot air
Noun
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Yet Biden administration officials have not espoused the same explicitly anti-media rhetoric as Trump and his top allies have for years.Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024
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His harsh stance on immigration and refugees echoes the same xenophobic rhetoric that has fueled fear and division across the globe.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The humble brag is a new shiny toy for some people.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
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The brag quickly caught the attention of Swift fans across social media, who rushed to attack Spector while defending Swift.Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The vibe of the evening is a slow crescendo, our chatter building to the point where three or four of us are simultaneously talking into our phones and thrusting them in front of one another, all with a remarkable sense of good cheer.Joe Ray, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024
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The world is filled with chatter about whether AI can fulfill its promise in delivering ROI to the enterprise.R. Scott Raynovich, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Meanwhile, Bianca rants to her boss Isabel about how Jimmy Tejero’s death must be the Jackal’s work, but Isabel shuts her down, reminding her that the case is closed and ordering her to take time off.Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Dec. 2024
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West’s antisemitic rants were also the reason why his Gap and Adidas partnerships ended.Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Tijerina pointed to his concerns surrounding immigration and the border, the oil and gas industry and transgender women in sports as issues that drove him to join the GOP, noting that South Texas Democrats have always been more conservative than national Democrats.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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Anschutz is not a party to the case, but the Anschutz Exploration Group, which produces oil and gas in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, submitted a friend-of-the-court brief which urged the court to limit the law’s focus to environmental effects that are under the direct control of an agency.David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hot air.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hot%20air. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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