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

birding hot spots

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 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

: a place where a wireless Internet connection is available

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

Most expats live worry-free lives in places like Penang and Langkawi. Costa Rica, another hot spot for retirement, also appears on this list. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 27 May 2025

Lamb and provincial wildlife biologist Sean O’Donovan show off one new electric-fenced yard in a former conflict hot spot a few miles outside Fernie. —Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2025

The volcano is formed by a hot spot, an area in the Earth’s mantle where hot plumes of molten material rise upward into the crust, the University of Washington's College of the Environment said in an April blog post. —Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025

The eight chair salon is located at WSA, a 31-story office building that has become a bit of a hot spot among Manhattan’s finest. —Emily Burns, Footwear News, 19 May 2025

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