hotshot
noun
hot·shot
ˈhät-ˌshät 
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
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 nounMitchell Pacellea 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
Phil Taylor2
: 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 nounAnton L. Delgado and Dustin Patar[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
Lilia Luciano3
: 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
Fred W. FraileySynonyms
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
In California, union officials were anticipating a mass departure of engine captains and hotshot superintendents.
—ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024
Guitarist Glenn Tipton, a bona fide metal icon known for his electrifying solos, revealed he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, and a relative newcomer to the band, guitar hotshot Richie Faulkner, nearly died onstage playing guitar in 2021 when his aorta ruptured.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024
Always the hotshot prospect, Chapman won the Titans’ everyday job at third base.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
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
ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024
Guitarist Glenn Tipton, a bona fide metal icon known for his electrifying solos, revealed he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, and a relative newcomer to the band, guitar hotshot Richie Faulkner, nearly died onstage playing guitar in 2021 when his aorta ruptured.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024
Always the hotshot prospect, Chapman won the Titans’ everyday job at third base.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near hotshot
Cite this Entry
“Hotshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotshot. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hotshot
noun
hot·shot
ˈhät-ˌshät
: a showily skillful person
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