drop like a hot potato

verb

To get rid of or stop doing (something) as quickly as possible.

Similar
drop like a hot brickdrop like a hot skilletdrop like a hot spuddrop like a bad habit
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Meanings

verbdrop like a hot potato (third-person singular simple present drops like a hot potato, present participle dropping like a hot potato, simple past and past participle dropped like a hot potato)

present singular third person drops like a hot potato · participle present dropping like a hot potato · participle past dropped like a hot potato · past dropped like a hot potato

  1. informaltransitivesimileTo get rid of or stop doing (something) as quickly as possible.

    Synonyms: drop like a hot brick, drop like a hot skillet, drop like a hot spud, drop like a bad habit

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo get rid of or stop doing (something) as quickly as possible.

Similar
drop like a hot brickdrop like a hot skilletdrop like a hot spuddrop like a bad habit
Also see
drop like a bad habitdrop like a hot brickdrop like a hot skilletdrop like a hot spud

Origin

See hot potato.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

drop like a hot potato. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drop%20like%20a%20hot%20potato

MLA

“drop like a hot potato.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drop%20like%20a%20hot%20potato. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drop like a hot potato,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drop%20like%20a%20hot%20potato.

Source: drop like a hot potato on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.