hot dog

IPA/ˈhɒt dɒɡ/
IPA/ˈhɑːt dɔːɡ/

hot dog — noun

1. a cooked sausage served hot inside a long soft bread roll, often with mustard, k

1.nounA2
Definition

a cooked sausage served hot inside a long soft bread roll, often with mustard, ketchup, or other toppings

Example

Kwame bought a hot dog with mustard after the baseball game ended.

hot dog with mustard — common food order

At lunch, Lauren heated a hot dog and wrapped it in foil.

heat a hot dog — common preparation

Common collocations
  • hot dog bun
  • hot dog stand
  • hot dog with mustard
  • grilled hot dog
  • eat a hot dog
Synonyms
  • frankfurter

    often names the sausage itself and sounds more product-like than the everyday snack word hot dog

  • sausage

    much broader; it does not specifically imply a bun or toppings

Grammar Patterns

a hot dog

eat a hot dog

hot dog with + topping

Usage Note

Usually countable. The word often refers to the whole snack in a bun, not only the sausage inside it.

Common Mistakes

I ate a sausage with mustard from the baseball cart.
I ate a hot dog with mustard from the baseball cart.
Use 'hot dog' for the bun snack, not for any sausage in general.

2. a person in sports such as skiing or surfing who tries to impress people by doin

2.nounC1
Definition

a person in sports such as skiing or surfing who tries to impress people by doing risky tricks

Example

During snowboard practice, the coach told Ari not to be a hot dog.

be a hot dog — informal criticism in sport

On the beginner slope, one hot dog kept jumping close to other skiers.

Common collocations
  • be a hot dog
  • act like a hot dog
  • call someone a hot dog
Synonyms
  • show-off

    broader everyday word for someone who likes attention, not limited to sport

  • daredevil

    focuses more on danger and courage than on trying to impress an audience

Grammar Patterns

be a hot dog

act like a hot dog

call someone a hot dog

Usage Note

Usually informal and often critical. It describes someone who shows off with dangerous moves, not simply a skilled athlete.

Common Mistakes

Mina is a hot dog because she always wins races.
Mina is a hot dog because she keeps showing off with risky tricks.
This sense is about attention-seeking behavior, not ordinary talent.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hot dog usually means the full snack sold in a bun, especially as quick food at a game, fair, or street stand. Sausage is the broad general word for meat in a casing, so it can describe many foods that are not served in bread at all. Frankfurter often names the smooth cooked sausage itself and can also be used for the whole item, but it sounds more formal or product-like than everyday hot dog. Bratwurst is a specific German-style sausage with a heavier texture and different seasoning. If someone asks for a hot dog, people expect bread and toppings, not just any sausage on its own.

hot dog ↗sausage ↗frankfurter ↗bratwurst ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • eat a hot dog
  • hot dog stand
  • hot dog with mustard
  • grilled hot dog

Prepositions

Etymology

American English

The phrase hot dog developed in American English in the late nineteenth century as a slang name for a sausage, probably from the joking idea that the long sausage looked like a dachshund dog. It then became the everyday name for the sausage served in a bun at fairs, ballparks, and street carts. From the same American slang, a later figurative sense grew for a person who shows off in sport to attract attention.