idiom · neutral
in hot water
UK/ɪn hɒt ˈwɔːtə/US/ɪn hɑːt ˈwɔːtər/in·HOT·WAT·er
in trouble or difficulty, especially with authorities or because of a mistake
Examples
“He was in hot water with his boss for missing the deadline.”
“The company was in hot water after safety breaches were revealed.”
“Students are in hot water if they are caught cheating during exams.”
Band 8 sentence
“Following several safety incidents, the corporation found itself in hot water and faced heavy fines from regulators.”
Collocations
- be in hot water with somebody
- get in hot water
Word family
Common mistakes
I am in hot water nowing.→I am in hot water now.
She is on hot water.→She is in hot water.
Say it for a higher band
5in trouble→6in a difficult situation→7+in hot water
Synonyms
in trouble
in the doghouse
Easily confused
in trouble
“After the data leak, the company was in trouble and had to apologise publicly.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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