hot spot

¹

or hot·spot

[ hot-spot ]

noun

1. a country or region where dangerous or difficult political situations exist or may erupt, especially where a war, revolution, or a belligerent attitude toward other countries exists or may develop:

   In the 1960s, Vietnam became a hot spot.

2. Informal. any area or place of known danger, intrigue, dissension, or instability.
3. Informal. a nightclub.
4. Photography. an area of a negative or print revealing excessive light on that part of the subject.
5. a section of forest or woods where fires frequently occur.
6. an area hotter than the surrounding surface, as on the shell of a furnace.
7. Digital Technology. a place where users of portable computers or mobile devices can get wireless broadband access to the internet or another network:

   how to find free Wi-Fi hot spots.

8. Physics. an area of abnormally high radioactivity.
9. Geology. a region of molten rock below and within the lithosphere that persists long enough to leave a record of uplift and volcanic activity at the earth's surface. Compare plume ( def 10 ).
10. Genetics. a chromosome site or a section of DNA having a high frequency of mutation or recombination.
11. Veterinary Pathology. a moist, raw sore on the skin of a dog or cat caused by constant licking of an irritation from an allergic reaction, tangled coat, fleas, etc.

hot-spot

²

[ hot-spot ]

verb (used with object)

, hot-spot·ted, hot-spot·ting.

1. to stop (a forest fire) at a hot spot.

hot spot

noun

1. an area of potential violence or political unrest
2. a lively nightclub or other place of entertainment
3. an area of great activity of a specific type

   the world's economic hot spots

4. 1. any local area of high temperature in a part of an engine, etc
   2. part of the inlet manifold of a paraffin engine that is heated by exhaust gases to vaporize the fuel
5. computing a place where wireless internet, esp broadband, services are provided to users of portable computers through a wireless local area network, such as in an airport, railway station, or library
6. med
   1. a small area on the surface of or within a body with an exceptionally high concentration of radioactivity or of some chemical or mineral considered harmful
   2. a similar area that generates an abnormal amount of heat, as revealed by thermography
7. genetics a part of a chromosome that has a tendency for mutation or recombination

hot spot

1. A volcanic area that forms as a tectonic plate moves over a point heated from deep within the Earth's mantle. The source of the heat is thought to be the decay of radioactive elements. The Hawaiian Islands formed as a series of hot spots.
2. See more at tectonic boundary

hot spot

1. A place deep within the Earth where hot magma rises to just underneath the surface, creating a bulge and volcanic activity ( see volcano ). The chain of Hawaiian Islands ( see Hawaii ) is thought to have been created by the movement of a tectonic plate over a hot spot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hot spot¹

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Origin of hot spot²

First recorded in 1950–55; v. use of hot spot

Example Sentences

Schools are closed, workers have been told to stay home and people urged to stay indoors - part of a so-called “green lockdown”, which has also seen motorbike rickshaws, heavy vehicles and motorbike parking banned from hot spot areas.

From BBC

She said it made the pier a "dolphin hot spot".

From BBC

As if the witchy vibes couldn’t get more, well, witchy at Brujas — the Spanish word for “witches” — the hot spot in the city’s Roma neighborhood has just debuted a new namesake bar menu for the year.

From Salon

Oshu, a semi-rural city of around 114,000, is not exactly a tourist hot spot.

From Los Angeles Times

There was one more immigration hot spot I wanted to check out: Jacumba Hot Springs, an hour and a half away in eastern San Diego County.

From Los Angeles Times