hot water

noun

A dangerous situation; trouble.

“Both students are in hot water from fighting.”

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Meanings

nounhot water (uncountable)
  1. figurativelyidiomaticuncountableA dangerous situation; trouble.

    Both students are in hot water from fighting.

  2. figurativelyidiomaticuncountableFierce criticism.

    The government's new proposal has landed them in hot water.

    2 more examples

    Zuckerberg got into hot water on Wednesday when he stated that Facebook wouldn’t necessarily remove Holocaust deniers from its platform because people “get things wrong” and because it’s not always possible to understand the deniers’ intent.

    2018 July 20, Johannes Breit, “We Banned Holocaust Deniers From Our History Subreddit. Here’s Why Facebook Should Do the Same.”, in Slate Magazine

    I once got myself in a bit of hot water by saying a couple of individuals in a key management/leadership role lacked competency for a senior role in the running of the railway.

    2025 November 12, Ian Prosser, “High maintenance levels”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 15
  3. uncountableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hot, water.

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀνία
  • ἀνία (anía)dangerous situation, trouble
Catalan problema
  • problemadangerous situation, trouble
Chinese Mandarin 湯 /汤, 熱水 /热水
  • 湯 /汤 (tāng)hot water
  • 熱水 /热水 (rèshuǐ)hot water
Finnish liri, kuraa niskaan
  • liridangerous situation, trouble
  • kuraa niskaanfierce criticism
  • kuuma vesihot water
  • lämmin vesihot water
French peine, eau chaude
  • peinedangerous situation, trouble
  • eau chaudehot water
German in Teufels Küche, Probleme
  • in Teufels Küchedangerous situation, trouble
  • Problemedangerous situation, trouble
  • Schwierigkeitendangerous situation, trouble
  • scharfe Kritikfierce criticism
  • Heißwasserhot water
  • Warmwasserhot water
Italian guaio
  • guaiodangerous situation, trouble
Japanese 湯
  • 湯 (yu)hot water
Latin difficultas
  • difficultasdangerous situation, trouble
Norwegian Bokmål varmtvann
  • varmtvannhot water
Polish kłopot, problem
  • kłopotdangerous situation, trouble
  • problemdangerous situation, trouble
  • ostra krytykafierce criticism
  • gorąca wodahot water
Portuguese problema
  • problemadangerous situation, trouble
Russian горя́чая вода́
  • горя́чая вода́ (gorjáčaja vodá)hot water
Spanish problema
  • problemadangerous situation, trouble
Swedish hett om öronen, vatten över huvudet
  • hett om öronendangerous situation, trouble
  • vatten över huvudetdangerous situation, trouble
  • varmvattenhot water
Tamil வெந்நீர், சுடுதண்ணீர்
  • வெந்நீர் (vennīr)hot water
  • சுடுதண்ணீர் (cuṭutaṇṇīr)hot water
  • சுடுநீர் (cuṭunīr)hot water
Cite this entry
APA

hot water. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hot%20water

MLA

“hot water.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hot%20water. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hot water,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hot%20water.

Source: hot water on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.