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

Continue reading … DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ — What landed this Democrat in hot water? —FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026

There will be hot or cold towels produced depending on the hour of day, as temperature changes can be extreme; hot water bottles are placed between the sheets before bedtime and the rooms swiftly made up before returning from morning yoga. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Wash bird feeders in hot water with soap. —Lauren David, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Apr. 2026

Keep your refrigerator spick-and-span by washing produce drawers with hot water and soap, and spraying all surfaces down with a disinfecting (but non-toxic and food-friendly) vinegar solution. —Elizabeth Brownfield, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 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