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

Some advise using buckets of steaming hot water to speed up the job of removing ice, but this isn't always the wisest idea. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026

The facility’s two-compartment sink and bathroom sink had a lack of hot water supply. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado updated January 23, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026

When hot water still has a place Cold water works well for most routine laundry, but warm or hot water is still appropriate in certain situations. —Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026

Never pour hot water onto your windshield to melt ice. —John Tufts, IndyStar, 22 Jan. 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