hotline

American  

[hot-lahyn] / ˈhɒtˌlaɪn /

noun

1. Also hot line a direct telecommunications link enabling immediate communication between heads of state in an international crisis.

   the hotline between Washington and Moscow.

2. Also hot line a telephone service enabling people to talk confidentially with someone about a personal problem or crisis.

   The protective services system is anchored by a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week emergency hotline.

3. Also hot line a telephone line providing customers or clients with direct access to a company or professional service.

   If you need assistance, feel free to chat with us through our online auto parts website or give our hotline a call.

4. Chiefly Canadian. a radio program to which listeners can phone in comments or questions.

   The radio hotline features advice and insight from a range of bank spokespeople during tax season.

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adjective

1. Chiefly Canadian. of or relating to a radio program to which listeners can phone in comments or questions.

hotline British  

/ ˈhɒtˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a direct telephone, teletype, or other communications link between heads of government, for emergency use

2. any such direct line kept for urgent use

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Etymology

Origin of hotline

First recorded in 1950–55; hot + line ¹

Example Sentences

His long-term goal is to create a crisis hotline specifically for people on the spectrum, staffed by counselors who are either autistic themselves or have been trained by autistic people.

From Los Angeles Times

Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said her organization received a hotline call from a witness who reported seeing Ramos-Solano struggling to breathe and in visible distress.

From Los Angeles Times

Theodore Payne, a California native plant nursery and education center, runs a wildflower hotline, where people can call in and hear weekly recorded reports on hot spots.

From Los Angeles Times

According to police records, he then called an ICE hotline, a requirement stemming from Florida’s close cooperation with the agency.

From Salon

For other people reading this who suspect an elderly relative is being scammed or on the brink of being scammed, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-372-8311 or legal services and Adult Protective Services.

From MarketWatch