A hotspot is a place where something specific happens frequently or intensely.

In nature, scientists track wildlife hotspots where many different species live together, like coral reefs or rainforests. Police departments monitor crime hotspots where they need to focus their patrols. During a drought, firefighters watch fire hotspots where blazes are most likely to start.

The word also describes a location that provides wireless internet access. When you connect your phone to a coffee shop's Wi-Fi, you're using their internet hotspot. Your phone can become a mobile hotspot too, sharing its cellular internet connection with other devices and turning one internet connection into a portable Wi-Fi network.

In geology, a hotspot is a place deep in the Earth where magma breaks through the crust, creating volcanoes. The Hawaiian Islands formed as the Pacific plate slowly moved over such a hotspot, like a conveyor belt passing over a blowtorch.

Whether it's internet access, volcanic activity, or just a popular hangout where everyone gathers, a hotspot is where the action concentrates in one particular place.