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
Synonyms
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
The governor can and should reform teacher-prep programs, a hotbed of progressive ideology, in his state and provide a template for the nation on how to do so.
—
Daniel Buck, National Review, 25 June 2024
New York, at the time, was a hotbed of black swinging virtuosos like James P. Johnson and Eubie Blake.
—Linda Chase, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 2024
Russian lawmakers on Monday quickly blamed external forces, including Ukraine and NATO, for terrorist attacks on Sunday that killed at least 20 people in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region of Russia in the North Caucasus that has long been a hotbed of violence by Islamist militants.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
The stage area was also a hotbed of crowd activity thanks to IGN’s near-constant giveaways (posters, figures, and other items), photo-ops, and cozy gift shop.
—Gabriel Zamora, PCMAG, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hotbed 
Daniel Buck, National Review, 25 June 2024
New York, at the time, was a hotbed of black swinging virtuosos like James P. Johnson and Eubie Blake.
—Linda Chase, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 2024
Russian lawmakers on Monday quickly blamed external forces, including Ukraine and NATO, for terrorist attacks on Sunday that killed at least 20 people in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region of Russia in the North Caucasus that has long been a hotbed of violence by Islamist militants.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
The stage area was also a hotbed of crowd activity thanks to IGN’s near-constant giveaways (posters, figures, and other items), photo-ops, and cozy gift shop.
—Gabriel Zamora, PCMAG, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hotbed
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.
Dictionary Entries Near hotbed
Cite this Entry
“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 1 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hotbed
noun
hot·bed
ˈhät-ˌbed 
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 innovation
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