hot spot
hot spot — phrase
1. a place where many people go because it offers exciting or enjoyable things to d
a place where many people go because it offers exciting or enjoyable things to do, such as good food, music, or nightlife
The new rooftop bar is a popular hot spot for young professionals after work.
hot spot for [activity]
The beach near Hamza's town is a hot spot for surfers and sunbathers all summer.
hot spot for [group]
During the festival, the square turns into a hot spot with street food and music.
That old night market is no longer a hot spot since most vendors moved away.
- destination
broader — any place worth visiting, not necessarily trendy
- hub
suggests a centre of activity or connection
- hangout
informal, more casual than 'hot spot'
- backwater
a quiet, isolated place with little activity
文法句型
hot spot for [activity]
用法筆記
Often followed by 'for' + a noun describing the activity that draws people (e.g., 'hot spot for dining', 'hot spot for shopping').
常見錯誤
2. a region or city where there is ongoing fighting, political violence, or serious
a region or city where there is ongoing fighting, political violence, or serious danger, especially in a military or conflict context
The UN sent peacekeepers to the city after it became a conflict hot spot with daily gun battles.
conflict hot spot
Sayaka's news crew was sent to the border hot spot where fighting had broken out overnight.
sent to [location] hot spot
Gabriel's family fled the city after it became a military hot spot with daily gunfire.
The valley near Reuben's hometown has been a military hot spot for years, with troops stationed on both sides.
- flashpoint
a place where conflict is most likely to erupt suddenly
- trouble spot
slightly less formal, same core meaning
文法句型
hot spot of [conflict]
用法筆記
Common in news reporting and political analysis. Often used with modifiers such as 'conflict', 'military', 'war', or 'violence' before 'hot spot'.
常見錯誤
3. a public place or a small electronic device that lets people connect to the inte
a public place or a small electronic device that lets people connect to the internet using a wireless signal
Eri found a free Wi-Fi hot spot at the library and finished her homework online.
free Wi-Fi hot spot
The café near the station has a reliable hot spot that works when busy.
reliable hot spot
When the hotel internet failed, Selim used his phone as a personal hot spot.
Many airports offer free hot spots so travellers can browse the web while waiting.
João bought a portable hot spot for road trips to attend video calls.
- Wi-Fi zone
emphasises the coverage area rather than the connection point
- access point
more technical, used for fixed network hardware
文法句型
hot spot with [feature]
用法筆記
Can refer to a physical location (café, airport) or a portable device (mobile hotspot). When referring to a smartphone feature, 'personal hot spot' is the common term.
常見錯誤
4. a fixed area deep within the earth where extremely hot rock rises from the mantl
a fixed area deep within the earth where extremely hot rock rises from the mantle, sometimes breaking through the crust and creating volcanoes or islands
The Hawaiian Islands were formed by a volcanic hot spot under the Pacific tectonic plate.
volcanic hot spot under [tectonic plate]
Dr. Park has been studying the volcanic hot spot under Iceland to understand how magma rises through the crust.
study hot spots
The hot spot beneath the Pacific Ocean has stayed active for millions of years while the plate drifted above it.
Lakshmi studies the Yellowstone hot spot, which caused some of the largest eruptions in history.
- mantle plume
the column of rising hot rock from the mantle; more technical than 'hot spot'
文法句型
hot spot under [location]
用法筆記
A technical geology term. Unlike volcanoes at plate boundaries, hot-spot volcanoes form in the middle of tectonic plates. The Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain is a classic example.
常見錯誤
5. a place where a specific kind of thing — such as a type of business, animal, or
a place where a specific kind of thing — such as a type of business, animal, or problem — occurs in much higher numbers than in surrounding areas
The coastal wetlands are a hot spot for rare birds that migrate through each spring.
hot spot for [species]
Taipei has become a hot spot for tech startups, with dozens opening each year.
hot spot for [industry]
This area is a hot spot for food deliveries because most residents work long hours.
The Amazon is a biodiversity hot spot with more species than almost anywhere.
文法句型
hot spot of [noun]
用法筆記
Often used with 'biodiversity' to describe an area with a high number of unique species. Can also describe crime ('crime hot spot'), business activity, or pollution.
常見錯誤
6. a painful, moist, red area on a dog's skin that becomes inflamed and infected, o
a painful, moist, red area on a dog's skin that becomes inflamed and infected, often because the dog keeps licking or scratching the same spot
After the hike, Rohan found a hot spot on his dog's leg from a tick.
hot spot on [body part]
The vet shaved the fur around the hot spot and applied medicine to treat it.
Faisal's golden retriever developed a hot spot on its back after swimming in the lake last week.
Naoko cleaned her Labrador's hot spot daily with the spray the vet recommended.
- acute moist dermatitis
the formal medical term for the condition
文法句型
hot spot on [body part]
用法筆記
Also called 'acute moist dermatitis' in veterinary medicine. Extremely common in dogs with thick coats (Golden Retrievers, Labradors, German Shepherds) during hot or humid weather.
常見錯誤
7. an area or community where cases of a particular illness spike far above expecte
an area or community where cases of a particular illness spike far above expected levels, usually prompting health authorities to respond
Health officials called the market a cholera hot spot after dozens fell ill.
identified [area] as a [disease] hot spot
The government sent medical supplies to rural hot spots where malaria had tripled over summer.
medical supplies to hot spots
Quinn's team mapped Covid-19 hot spots to help hospitals prepare for patients.
Vaccination teams were sent into disease hot spots first to protect the most vulnerable communities.
- epicentre
suggests the very centre of an outbreak
- cluster
more general; a group of cases without the geographic emphasis
- outbreak area
more general term for a disease-affected region
文法句型
hot spot of [disease]
用法筆記
Widely used in public health reporting. Often appears with modifiers like 'Covid-19 hot spot', 'malaria hot spot', 'diabetes hot spot'. Can be used for both infectious and non-infectious diseases.
常見錯誤
8. a specific region within a DNA or chromosome sequence where mutations or genetic
a specific region within a DNA or chromosome sequence where mutations or genetic changes occur at a much higher rate than elsewhere
Dr. Akinwande found a hot spot in the BRCA2 gene where mutations cause breast cancer.
hot spot in the gene
Lab technicians found hot spots in the liver cell DNA where errors happen during cell division.
hot spots in DNA
The flu virus changes every year because its RNA has hot spots that mutate very quickly.
Adisa studies mutation hot spots across species to understand how evolution shapes DNA.
- mutational hot spot
more precise term used in genetics literature
- recombination hot spot
specific to regions where DNA segments swap between chromosomes
- cold spot
a region with unusually low mutation frequency
文法句型
hot spot in [genetic material]
用法筆記
Common in molecular biology papers. 'Genetic hot spot' and 'mutation hot spot' are used interchangeably. These regions are important in cancer research and evolutionary biology.