hothouse

1 of 2

noun

hot·​house ˈhät-ˌhau̇s How to pronounce hothouse (audio)
1
: a greenhouse maintained at a high temperature especially for the culture of tropical plants
2
3
obsolete : brothel

hothouse

2 of 2

adjective

1
: grown in a hothouse
2
: suggestive of growth and development in a hothouse
a hothouse existence
also : suggesting a hothouse
a hothouse atmosphere

Examples of hothouse in a Sentence

Noun grows tomatoes in his hothouse all winter long an urban enclave of bohemians that acquired a reputation for being a hothouse of creativity
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
By contrast, during hothouse periods, the equator-to-pole difference tended to be on the order of 15° to 25° C. Heating the globe One thing that is clear from comparing this record with carbon dioxide is that there's a close correlation between the two. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Sep. 2024 The parks became hothouses for startup companies, which drew talent from those universities and used government bonuses to lure experienced expats back home. Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2024
Adjective
Fracas, fittingly beloved by personality-plus women such as Madonna, Martha Stewart, and Isabella Blow, dials the heady, hothouse opulence of tuberose up to 11 with the addition of jasmine, tonka bean, and musk. April Long, Town & Country, 13 Sep. 2019 These fragile and artificial economies require hothouse conditions that a weakened OPEC can no longer provide. Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 11 Dec. 2017 See all Example Sentences for hothouse 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hothouse was in 1556

Dictionary Entries Near hothouse

Cite this Entry

“Hothouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hothouse. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

hothouse

noun
hot·​house
-ˌhau̇s
: a heated greenhouse
hothouse adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on hothouse

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