hot water

noun

: a difficult or dangerous situation : trouble entry 1 sense 4

—used with in or into

But this poor fellow was always getting into hot water, and if there was a wrong way of doing a thing, was sure to hit upon it.

—Richard Henry Dana, Jr.

In recent years, comedians have found themselves in hot water for making politically incorrect topics about everything from race to gender.

—James Hohmann

Examples of hot water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Eco effort Solar panels and backup generators generate hot water. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 July 2026

One hack from Godynuk is to run your sink hot first before pressing start on your dishwasher, so that your dishwasher starts its cycle with hot water. — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 25 July 2026

No, no hot water, no warm water, no cold water during the inspection. — David J. Neal july 24, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026

Holcombe says passengers can also request hot water for themselves. — Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hot water

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater

Kids Definition

hot water

noun

: a distressing situation : trouble

in hot water for not doing my chores