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. FraileyExamples 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
Founded by early Facebook investor Ali Partovi, Neo has made big bets on founders of hotshot AI startups Pika and Anysphere, the company behind coding tool Cursor.
—Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Suddenly, the glossy, eminently bingeable legal drama — which centered around hotshot corporate attorney Harvey’s decision to hire brilliant college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) as his new associate, and the inevitable cover-up and fallout from their long con — got a new lease on life.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
The two hotshot Elizabethans were like the rock ‘n’ roll stars of their day.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
And, elsewhere, office hotshot Richard Roma (Culkin) showcases the art of the effin' deal by luring in everyman James Lingk (John Pirruccello) with stories of hook-ups and cafe au lait before casually showing him some prime real estate.
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hotshot
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Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Suddenly, the glossy, eminently bingeable legal drama — which centered around hotshot corporate attorney Harvey’s decision to hire brilliant college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) as his new associate, and the inevitable cover-up and fallout from their long con — got a new lease on life.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
The two hotshot Elizabethans were like the rock ‘n’ roll stars of their day.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
And, elsewhere, office hotshot Richard Roma (Culkin) showcases the art of the effin' deal by luring in everyman James Lingk (John Pirruccello) with stories of hook-ups and cafe au lait before casually showing him some prime real estate.
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hotshot
Cite this Entry
“Hotshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotshot. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hotshot
noun
hot·shot
ˈhät-ˌshät
: a showily skillful person
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