hotspot
/ˈhɒtspɒt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːtspɑːt/ (ame, ipa)
hotspot — noun
- hotspotsingular
- hotspotsplural
1. a public spot, such as a café or airport lounge, where you can join a wi-fi netw
a public spot, such as a café or airport lounge, where you can join a wi-fi network to use the internet on your phone or laptop.
The café near Shirin's office offers a free hotspot for customers.
noun usage: a free hotspot
Ezra opened his laptop and looked for an airport hotspot to send the report.
Most public libraries in Taipei now provide hotspots that any visitor can use.
Stefan warned the tour group that the night bus has no hotspot at all.
Heloísa joined the hotel hotspot to video-call her family back in Lisbon.
- wi-fi spot
informal everyday phrase, same meaning
- wireless access point
more technical, used in IT contexts
文法句型
a hotspot in/at [place]
connect to a hotspot
用法筆記
Subject is usually a venue (café, hotel, airport, library). Distinguish from sense 2, which is a portable piece of hardware that a person carries.
常見錯誤
2. a small device, or a phone feature, that shares mobile-data internet with nearby
a small device, or a phone feature, that shares mobile-data internet with nearby computers and tablets through wi-fi.
Adina switched on her mobile hotspot so her brother could finish his homework.
compound: mobile hotspot
Hiro packs a small hotspot for every work trip, in case the hotel wi-fi fails.
Inês used her phone as a hotspot so the whole study group could log in.
The film crew used a portable hotspot to upload daily footage from the mountain set.
Lisa forgot to charge the hotspot, so the team had no internet all afternoon.
- mi-fi
informal term for a portable wi-fi device
- tethering device
more technical, emphasises the sharing function
文法句型
use [someone]'s phone as a hotspot
set up a mobile hotspot
用法筆記
Subject is usually a phone, a small hardware box, or a person doing the sharing. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is a piece of hardware you own and carry; sense 1 is a service installed at a venue.
常見錯誤
3. a place that lots of people visit because it has a lively scene, such as music,
a place that lots of people visit because it has a lively scene, such as music, nightlife, food, or shopping.
The night market behind the temple has become a hotspot for street food lovers.
a hotspot for [group]
Élise wrote a guidebook listing every hotspot in Lyon worth a Friday-night visit.
Brooklyn became a music hotspot in the years after the warehouse-loft scene started.
Tourists travel for hours to reach the diving hotspot off the south coast of Okinawa.
Once the celebrity chef opened her restaurant, the quiet alley turned into a hotspot overnight.
- in place
very informal; suggests current fashion
- destination
neutral; emphasises that people travel there on purpose
- backwater
informal; a sleepy place nobody visits
文法句型
a hotspot for [activity]
[place] is a hotspot
用法筆記
Often followed by `for + activity or group` (a hotspot for foodies, a hotspot for surfers). Distinguish from sense 4, which carries danger; this sense carries excitement and popularity.
常見錯誤
4. an area where fighting, political unrest, or other serious trouble is happening
an area where fighting, political unrest, or other serious trouble is happening or could break out at any moment.
Aid workers refuse to enter the hotspot near the border without an armed escort.
Niran writes news reports from political hotspots across South-East Asia.
plural: political hotspots
Ishaan reported from one of the world's oldest hotspots, where rival armies still trade gunfire.
The mountain pass became a military hotspot during the long civil war.
Devika studied conflict hotspots at university before joining the United Nations.
- trouble spot
near-synonym, slightly more general
- flashpoint
stresses that violence could erupt at any moment
- safe zone
a protected area free of fighting
文法句型
a hotspot of [conflict/tension]
political/military hotspot
用法筆記
Common in news writing. Often modified by `political`, `military`, `conflict`, or `trouble`. Distinguish from sense 3 (which is positive — popularity); this sense always carries threat or instability.
常見錯誤
5. an area where a particular activity, illness, or natural feature is found in muc
an area where a particular activity, illness, or natural feature is found in much larger amounts than in nearby places.
The forest reserve in Borneo is a biodiversity hotspot with hundreds of rare species.
compound: biodiversity hotspot
Health officials monitored the city block as a hotspot for the new flu outbreak.
a hotspot for [illness]
Nala mapped crime hotspots in the district so the police could plan night patrols.
Coastal hotspots of plastic pollution show where the rivers dump waste into the sea.
Across the region, malaria hotspots cluster around the slow-moving water of the rice paddies.
文法句型
a hotspot for/of [phenomenon]
biodiversity/disease/crime hotspot
用法筆記
Common in scientific, public-health, and policing language. The modifier in front (biodiversity, crime, malaria, pollution) names what is concentrated. Distinguish from sense 4: that sense is specifically about armed conflict, while this sense covers any concentrated phenomenon — good or bad.
6. a small area that is far hotter or more radioactive than the surroundings, such
a small area that is far hotter or more radioactive than the surroundings, such as a volcano's active spot or after-fire embers.
Firefighters returned at dawn to find a hotspot still smoking in the burnt pine grove.
still smoking
Christopher used a thermal camera to find hotspots along the failing engine block.
plural: find hotspots
Hawaii sits above a volcanic hotspot that pushes magma upward over millions of years.
The reactor team mapped every radiation hotspot inside the sealed containment hall.
Ryo's drone flagged a hotspot near the old fire line, where embers still glowed faintly.
- thermal anomaly
technical; preferred in scientific reports
- ember zone
firefighting term for after-fire smoldering patches
- cold spot
an area that is unusually cool compared to its surroundings
文法句型
a hotspot of [heat/radiation/volcanic activity]
用法筆記
Common in geology (volcanic plumes), firefighting (after-fire embers), and engineering (overheating parts). Often paired with `volcanic`, `radiation`, `thermal`, or `smoldering`. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense is about temperature; sense 5 is about concentration of a non-thermal phenomenon.