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

The establishment was temporarily closed by the city due to insufficient hot water at the hand sinks. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026

The drone has multiple settings, from pressure washing, soft washing to hot water for tough cleans on buildings that don’t want to use to harsh chemicals like bleach and chlorine. — Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pour 1 cup steaming hot water over 1/2 cup old fashioned oats in a serving bowl or mug. — Elisa Zied, Parents, 15 July 2026

To clean your washer, add 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide to the empty washer drum before running a hot water wash cycle. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 July 2026

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