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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For decades, tenants have complained about unsanitary or dangerous conditions, including mold, rodents, and heat and hot water outages. Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025 Key Takeaways Matcha is a green tea that is finely ground into a powder and mixed with hot water. Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 1 Oct. 2025 Lack of proper handwashing, some from a lack of hot water, led a state inspector to shut down a Coral Gables restaurant last week. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025 No hot water baths or pressure canning, the technique uses modern day refrigerators and freezers to store small batches of homemade jams, condiments and spreads, plus chutneys, pickles, relishes and ketchups. Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hot water

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hot water was in 1840

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hot water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20water. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

hot water

noun
: a distressing situation : trouble
in hot water for not doing my chores

More from Merriam-Webster on hot water

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