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
Miami became a hotbed of U.S. intelligence operations focused on Castro’s Cuba, replete with fleets of small ships and airplanes.
—
Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
California was part of this, but not a ringleader, essentially no more culpable than New York, Massachusetts or Illinois, all hotbeds of abolition.
—Thomas D. Elias, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hotbed 
Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
California was part of this, but not a ringleader, essentially no more culpable than New York, Massachusetts or Illinois, all hotbeds of abolition.
—Thomas D. Elias, Orange County Register, 9 Apr. 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 3 May. 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 crime
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