hot potato
noun
: a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it
Examples of hot potato in a Sentence
He tried to avoid taking a strong stand on political hot potatoes like abortion.
Recent Examples on the Web
Positive government support for independent professionals would be a helpful step but freelancing remains a political (and taxation) hot potato and will take more time.
—
Jon Younger, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The Golden Globes telecast was something of a hot potato prior to this new deal.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Mar. 2024
Electric vehicles are quickly becoming a geopolitical hot potato.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 22 Jan. 2024
Reducing Reliance on Traditional College Degrees Can Help Gen Z
As college costs continue to soar, and student loan forgiveness remains a political hot potato, Gen Z isn’t the only large demographic that’s questioning the value of the college degree.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 17 July 2023
Porsche and Tesla have been playing hot potato with the Nürburgring’s electric sedan lap record for a few years now.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2024
If nations had to reconcile their spending by ultimately having to settle up in bitcoin, the temptation to play hot potato with their sovereign debt in the hope of foisting their vote buying largess onto some bigger fool somewhere other than here would be severely constricted.
—Desmond Lachman, National Review, 6 Dec. 2023
How the painting ended up in the Florida home in the first place is still a mystery — but the FBI agent believes mobsters passed it on like a hot potato.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Now, for the rest of the play, the family will play a particularly grisly game of hot potato.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2023
Jon Younger, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The Golden Globes telecast was something of a hot potato prior to this new deal.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Mar. 2024
Electric vehicles are quickly becoming a geopolitical hot potato.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 22 Jan. 2024
Reducing Reliance on Traditional College Degrees Can Help Gen Z
As college costs continue to soar, and student loan forgiveness remains a political hot potato, Gen Z isn’t the only large demographic that’s questioning the value of the college degree.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 17 July 2023
Porsche and Tesla have been playing hot potato with the Nürburgring’s electric sedan lap record for a few years now.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2024
If nations had to reconcile their spending by ultimately having to settle up in bitcoin, the temptation to play hot potato with their sovereign debt in the hope of foisting their vote buying largess onto some bigger fool somewhere other than here would be severely constricted.
—Desmond Lachman, National Review, 6 Dec. 2023
How the painting ended up in the Florida home in the first place is still a mystery — but the FBI agent believes mobsters passed it on like a hot potato.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Now, for the rest of the play, the family will play a particularly grisly game of hot potato.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hot potato.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hot potato
Cite this Entry
“Hot potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20potato. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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