hot spot

noun

variants or less commonly hotspot

ˈhät-ˌspät 

plural hot spots also hotspots

1

: a place of more than usual interest, activity, or popularity

tourist hot spots

an entertainment hot spot

… an ambitious chef at a top New York hotspot.

—Josh Sharpe

2

: a place in the upper mantle of the earth at which hot magma from the lower mantle upwells to melt through the crust usually in the interior of a tectonic plate to form a volcanic feature

also : a place in the crust overlying a hot spot

3

a

: an area of political, military, or civil unrest usually considered dangerous

global hot spots

b

: a place with a high concentration of something

a crime/pollution hot spot

Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot with no fewer than 15 unique families of animals.

—Brandon Keim

specifically, medical : a place or area (such as a city or region of a country) where there is an elevated prevalence or increased transmission risk of a disease

The city became a COVID-19 hot spot.

4

usually hotspot

a

: a wireless network that is available to the public at a particular place (such as a library or café)

Don't shop online or do online banking while using an unencrypted or open wireless network, like those provided for free at coffee shops or some airport hotspots.

—National Consumers League

b

: a portable device that provides a wireless network

… has secured 3,000 wireless hotspots—portable devices that provide wireless internet access to phones, laptops and tablets—to loan out to library members.

—Michelle Pitcher

Whether you're a digital nomad … or just want to catch the latest news, you need a mobile hotspot or travel router for a secure connection.

—Angela Watson

also : a feature that allows a wireless mobile device to share its wireless connection with another device

The power and internet was down in his building, so he used his phone's hotspot to call on his laptop.

—Christian Smith

5

: an inflamed patch of moist infected skin on a domestic animal and especially a dog

Examples of hot spot in a Sentence

The new restaurant is the latest hot spot in town.

This part of the country is a hot spot of rebel activity.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nationwide there are more than 150 airports on the FAA hot spots list. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

There’s no question that Van Nuys is a hot spot for hospices. —Jason Henry, Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026

But the drug trade was beginning to spread throughout the area, and eventually Kensington became known as a notorious opioid hot spot, home to crime, rampant homelessness, and the largest open-air drug market on the east coast. —Amanda Abrams, thehustle.co, 13 Mar. 2026

And yet — as if in defiance of nature — Death Valley is still a hot spot for wildflower blooms, attracting pollinators such as butterflies, moths, bees and hummingbirds that might not otherwise visit this corner of the California desert. —Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Rhymes for hot spot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

hot spot

noun

1

: a place of more than normal interest, activity, or popularity

surfing hot spots

2

: a place where hot magma from the earth's interior rises through the mantle and crust to form a volcanic feature

3

a

: an area of political, military, or civil unrest usually considered dangerous

b

: a place where a disease is especially prevalent

4

: a place where a wireless Internet connection is available

Medical Definition

hot spot

noun

variants also hotspot

ˈhät-ˌspät 

1

: a patch of painful moist inflamed skin on a domestic animal and especially a dog that starts as a response to a skin irritant (as an allergen or an insect or tick bite), that is rapidly worsened by scratching, chewing, or licking the affected area, and that may become seriously infected if not promptly cleaned and medicated

2

: a place or area (as a city or region of a country) where there is an elevated prevalence or an increased transmission risk of a disease (as cholera, diabetes, or malaria)

3

: a site in genetic material (as DNA or a chromosome) having a high frequency of mutation or recombination