hot water

noun

Synonyms of hot waternext
: 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
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Add 1 tablespoon of citric acid powder per 1 cup of hot water to a spray bottle. Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 6 Feb. 2026 The Luxe Package also comes standard, bringing along comforts like heated floors, water filtration, continuous hot water and a HEPA air filter. New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026 The video quickly went viral and landed Martinez, who is among the field of candidates challenging Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson in his bid for reelection, in hot water. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026 Mayor Zohran Mamdani had some good news Wednesday for the residents of a NYCHA facility in Queens who have been battling the bitter cold without heat or hot water. Allen Devlin, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026 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 11 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

hot water

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

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