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.
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
James HohmannExamples of hot water in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Oakland University, in Rochester, Michigan, says fall commencement services will take place as planned, despite recent campus building closings related to problems with its high-temperature hot water pipe system.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
As temperatures drop, people will often increase their use of hot water for long showers and to prevent freezing of pipes and space heating in order to keep warm.
—Kendrick Marshall, Sacbee.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Pre-soak the gloves in hot water with a teaspoon of dish soap or liquid laundry detergent for 1 hour to overnight before laundering to help penetrate and break down residue from skin care products.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
The worst possible offense is not to constantly commit crimes or to make terrible public policy decisions but rather to draw bad press, which is why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel are reportedly in hot water.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot water
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Paula Wethington, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
As temperatures drop, people will often increase their use of hot water for long showers and to prevent freezing of pipes and space heating in order to keep warm.
—Kendrick Marshall, Sacbee.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Pre-soak the gloves in hot water with a teaspoon of dish soap or liquid laundry detergent for 1 hour to overnight before laundering to help penetrate and break down residue from skin care products.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
The worst possible offense is not to constantly commit crimes or to make terrible public policy decisions but rather to draw bad press, which is why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel are reportedly in hot water.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot water
Cite this Entry
“Hot water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20water. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
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