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

And while hot water does typically fuel storms, meteorologists also pointed out there’s a good deal of wind shear near Melissa, which could destabilize it and prevent it from getting super strong, super fast. —Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025

Residents didn’t have hot water for weeks at a time, according to previous reporting. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025

Michigan got in hot water for a sign-stealing scandal in 2023. —Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025

Once the filter is out, use hot water and soap on a damp cloth to wipe the ledges where the filter sits. —Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2025

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