hot-box

1 of 2

verb

ˈhät-ˌbäks 

variants or less commonly hotbox

hot-boxed also hotboxed; hot-boxing also hotboxing; hot-boxes also hotboxes

1

transitive + intransitive slang : to smoke marijuana in a small, enclosed space (such as a car) in order to inhale the secondhand smoke trapped inside the space

Recreational weed had just been legalized, so we'd get takeout ramen and hotbox her room …

—Lauren Colella

In several cases, a guard investigating an odor in the parking lot will find a group "hot boxing" in a smoke-filled car.

—Manuel Gamiz Jr.

2

transitive slang : to break wind in (an enclosed space) or near (someone in an enclosed space)

Imagine being stuck on a 12-hour flight with an old man hot-boxing you …

—Stephen Colbert, speaking on The Late Show

Dogs have been hotboxing the car with their farts.

—@texasbreakfast1, on X, formerly Twitter

hot box

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly hotbox

plural hot boxes also hotboxes

1

: a journal (see journal entry 1 sense 3) bearing (as of a railroad car) overheated by friction

2

: a small room or enclosed space that is very hot

I complain when my husband tries to raise the thermostat to 70 from my preferred 65. It's a freaking hot box

—@AmyBeePhoenix, on X, formerly Twitter

With the air conditioning turned off for the weekend, the sixth-floor Financial District office had turned into a 130-degree hotbox.

—Rashi Shrivastava

3

hot box : a portable machine with a chamber that keeps asphalt hot and workable for use

Now the Milwaukee Brewers are chipping in to fix the city's never-ending pothole problem, after the city's public works committee accepted $27,500 from the organization to pay for a large-capacity asphalt hot box to repair potholes.

—Vanessa Swales

4

slang : an enclosed space filled with smoke and especially marijuana smoke

… the place was already packed to bursting with avid marijuana enthusiasts. I smelled it as I walked in, but by the time I found my seat, I was inside the world's most enormous hot box.

—Jeff Napier

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1994, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hotbox

noun

hot·​box -ˌbäks 

: a bearing (as of a railroad car) overheated by friction