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

Its hot water function makes quick work of sticky messes on the floor (a godsend in my house, since my kids have taken to tipping plates with maple syrup onto the floor) and the steam cleaning setting easily clears deeper stains and eliminates odors. —Editors Of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025

Wood from the property’s woodlands was used for the flooring (which is radiant heated), and there are solar panels for hot water. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2025

Minutes later, inside Massey's home, Grayson told her to take a pot of hot water off the stove. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025

Clean out food storage containers with hot water and soap, and vacuum or scrub your cupboards. —Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hot water

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater

Kids Definition

hot water

noun

: a distressing situation : trouble

in hot water for not doing my chores