1
: being at or radiating white heat
2
a
: extremely hot
b
: exhibiting or marked by extreme fervor or zeal
white-hot enthusiasm

Examples of white-hot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the US economy added 187,000 jobs in August, a total that’s roughly in line with the monthly average seen from 2010-2019 and a figure that’s considerably below the white-hot job gains that marked the pandemic recovery. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 1 Sep. 2023 Ahsoka stakes her claim to her own series with a dazzling display of white-hot swordplay. Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Aug. 2023 Oh, and the AL West lead has been slivered to 1.5 games over Houston, two over white-hot Seattle. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 22 Aug. 2023 Housing was the first segment of the economy to be affected by the Federal Reserve’s historic campaign to bring down inflation, after its series of interest rate hikes pushed mortgage rates north of 7% and brought the white-hot pandemic market to a screeching halt. Anna Bahney, CNN, 10 Aug. 2023 By midday, the canyons and gorges of the vast park near the border of Nevada shimmered beneath the white-hot sun, but the relentless, eyeball-stinging heat wasn’t enough to stop visitors from braving the danger. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2023 Both of them white-hot stars, hitting first in Europe, blazing now on college campuses across the country with their super first album, Je T’Aime, written by Serge, and their movies—Slogan, Cannabis. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 17 July 2023 Indeed, the white-hot denunciations Democratic professionals reserve for prospective centrist third-party campaigns communicates more about what this White House perceives to be its real weaknesses. Noah Rothman, National Review, 17 July 2023 During the white-hot labor market of the past couple of years, Americans have been earning healthy wage increases but putting in fewer hours. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'white-hot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of white-hot was in 1587

Dictionary Entries Near white-hot

Cite this Entry

“White-hot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-hot. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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