hot spot
noun
variants
or less commonly hotspot
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
Many cite the high costs of doing business in Los Angeles, as well the allure of government incentives in such filming hot spots as Georgia, New York, Canada and the United Kingdom.
—
Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Addington also said additional patrols will be deployed in hot spot areas such as Sycamore and Cavallo Road to improve police visibility and curtail violence – the team will include officers from a neighboring city.
—Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024
The Olympian has Belize citizenship and visits the Central American hot spot often.
—Essence, 23 Oct. 2024
This hotel is located at the center of Houston’s culture and arts hot spot.
—Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot spot 
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Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Addington also said additional patrols will be deployed in hot spot areas such as Sycamore and Cavallo Road to improve police visibility and curtail violence – the team will include officers from a neighboring city.
—Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024
The Olympian has Belize citizenship and visits the Central American hot spot often.
—Essence, 23 Oct. 2024
This hotel is located at the center of Houston’s culture and arts hot spot.
—Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot spot
Dictionary Entries Near hot spot
Cite this Entry
“Hot spot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20spot. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hot spot
noun
variants
also hotspot
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
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