hotbed

noun

hot·​bed ˈhät-ˌbed How to pronounce hotbed (audio)
1
: a bed of soil enclosed in glass, heated especially by fermenting manure, and used for forcing or for raising seedlings
2
: an environment that favors rapid growth or development
a hotbed of activity

Examples of hotbed in a Sentence

a hotbed of political unrest prerevolutionary Boston was viewed as a hotbed of treason by the British
Recent Examples on the Web At the time, the region was a hotbed of volcanic activity, with gases from underwater vents adding nutrients to the water. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 South Florida has been a hotbed of PPP loan fraud committed by hundreds of business people and others charged with stealing millions from the government program by falsifying loan applications for their companies, including falsified employee, revenue, income and tax records. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 But although Keebler and United Biscuit hailed by Philadelphia, the plant in Michigan was a hotbed of activity in the snacks world. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 In recent years, schools, which are often seen as hotbeds for political discussions, have increasingly been criticized for lacking open dialogue about social issues on campus. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 29 Nov. 2023 Bates College, renamed in honor of its industrialist patron, was an early hotbed of abolitionism and one of the first schools to allow women and African Americans to study alongside white men. Alex Seitz-Wald, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2023 What used to be a parking lot at the stadium is now a hotbed of activity, with must-stop places, to dine, drink and unwind. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 The package would be financed by reining in the employee retention tax credit, a pandemic-era program to encourage employers to keep workers on payroll that has become a hotbed of abuse. Kayla Guo, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2024 Whatever fears Austin may have had that the U.S. military has become a hotbed of right-wing radicalism have proved unfounded. Nr Editors, National Review, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hotbed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hotbed was in 1626

Dictionary Entries Near hotbed

Cite this Entry

“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hotbed

noun
hot·​bed ˈhät-ˌbed How to pronounce hotbed (audio)
1
: a heated bed of soil enclosed in glass and used for growing seedlings
2
: an environment that favors rapid growth or development
a hotbed of crime

More from Merriam-Webster on hotbed

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