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 Slice cleanly: For the cleanest slices, dip your knife in hot water and wipe off between cuts. John Somerall, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023 Word to the wise: For quicker set time, use hot water. Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 22 Nov. 2023 On the other hand, the technology behind the tankless models allows for an endless supply of hot water. Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Nov. 2023 The hospital’s director Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya told an Arab news outlet that they have been forced to move premature babies out of incubators, wrap them in foils and place them next to hot water to keep them alive. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 In addition, from HSN online reviews the company knew of roughly 500 complaints of the steamers expelling hot water and another 150 complaints of leaks, including 87 reports of injury, the agency noted. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2023 Hand dishwashing detergent in hot water is an option, but a cleaner such as Simple Green all-purpose cleaner ($5.48 for a 32-ounce spray bottle) used at full strength might work better. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023 Musk's tweet has also landed him in hot water with advertisers, with IBM suspending its ads on X after the company's corporate ads appeared next to pro-Nazi content. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023 Wenner got in hot water when a Times interviewer asked him about the lack of women and people of color represented in the book’s choice of interview subjects. Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hot water.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near hot water

Cite this Entry

“Hot water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20water. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

hot water

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

More from Merriam-Webster on hot water

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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