hot potato
noun
: a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it
Examples of hot potato in a Sentence
He tried to avoid taking a strong stand on political hot potatoes like abortion.
Recent Examples on the Web
But the subject is a hot potato in New Mexico for a few reasons.
—
Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Whether an American distributor will want to touch such a divisive hot potato is another question, but Kramer’s movie certainly merits attention.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
Greece and Turkey, which for hundreds of years had been steeped in mutual acrimony and territorial disputes, were now willingly ceding land to each other in a game of geopolitical hot potato.
—Lauren Markham, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
As his goofy face is soon detached from the rest of his body and tossed around the room like a hot potato, blood spraying in all directions, the class is left traumatized and Mr. Bunting’s dismissal suddenly starts to feel slightly warranted.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot potato
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Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Whether an American distributor will want to touch such a divisive hot potato is another question, but Kramer’s movie certainly merits attention.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
Greece and Turkey, which for hundreds of years had been steeped in mutual acrimony and territorial disputes, were now willingly ceding land to each other in a game of geopolitical hot potato.
—Lauren Markham, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
As his goofy face is soon detached from the rest of his body and tossed around the room like a hot potato, blood spraying in all directions, the class is left traumatized and Mr. Bunting’s dismissal suddenly starts to feel slightly warranted.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot potato
Cite this Entry
“Hot potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20potato. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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