hotshot

noun

hot·​shot ˈhät-ˌshät How to pronounce hotshot (audio)
plural hotshots
1
: a talented or successful person who often has a showy or flashy manner
There are, of course, people here who believe that most Washington hotshots, journalistic as well as governmental, are fatly overpaid already …Meg Greenfield
… some young hotshots are leaving mutual funds … to set up hedge funds at a rate of more than one a day.Mitchell Pacelle
often used before another noun
a hotshot actor
These days, the only teasing that Leinart gets is from friends who tell him that he doesn't take advantage of being a hotshot college quarterback.Phil Taylor
2
: a person trained to fight forest fires especially in remote areas
As a hotshot, his job was to rappel from helicopters into wildfires across the country.Anton L. Delgado and Dustin Patar
often used before another noun
[Firefighter Zachary] Resnick said his hotshot crew used to get a break fighting wildfires from late November to late spring. Now, they're on duty nearly year-round.Lilia Luciano
3
: a fast freight train
First is a hotshot, LADAF, an automobile and trailer train from Los Angeles to Dallas ("F" stands for Forwarder). Its route through Texas is roundabout, so LADAF has to really move, and move it does …Fred W. Frailey

Examples of hotshot in a Sentence

The company has hired a couple of young hotshots to revamp its advertising campaign. That guy thinks he's a real hotshot.
Recent Examples on the Web Buzz was supposedly the hotshot coming in as a freshman, not this Michael Jordan kid. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024 Maybe these energy stocks will come back and outperform the tech and social media hotshots, who knows? John Navin, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 The actor, who had a memorable seaside football scene in Top Gun: Maverick and also played the sport in high school, is set to star as a hotshot college quarterback in a new Hulu series titled Chad Powers. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024 Following in the footsteps of Zambian teammate Barbra Banda, as well as Paris Saint-Germain’s hotshot striker Tabitha Chawinga and Bay FC’s very own Asisat Oshoala, Kundananji has rapidly proved herself as one of the most exciting forwards on the planet after starring for club and country. Assile Toufaily, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 This was especially true for when Monk meets Wiley (Adam Brody), a hotshot executive looking to turn his book into a film. Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024 At these holiday shows at Blues Alley, Crockett draws on soul, gospel and jazz music, backed by a quartet featuring hotshot saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed. 7 and 9 p.m. $40. Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023 Maestro centers on Cooper’s assiduous show of respect for Bernstein — Cooper meticulously enacts Bernstein’s rise to celebrity while sympathetically balancing his hotshot, wunderkind arrogance with the physical ravages of time. Armond White, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023 There is, to be clear, no link whatsoever between Don Draper and the Supreme Archangel Gabriel — save for the fact that both start off as hotshots, high up in the hierarchy in their respective offices. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hotshot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of hotshot was in 1922

Dictionary Entries Near hotshot

Cite this Entry

“Hotshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotshot. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hotshot

noun
hot·​shot ˈhät-ˌshät How to pronounce hotshot (audio)
: a showily skillful person

More from Merriam-Webster on hotshot

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