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
Only a handful of those who helped make the Village a musical hotbed are still out performing and even making new albums — Bob Dylan, of course, along with Judy Collins, Carolyn Hester, Noel Paul Stookey, and very few others.
—
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2025
The area has also become a hotbed of rock climbing, and the most popular crag for out-of-towners is Stone Fort, a bouldering area 20 miles north of downtown with 400 problems on high quality sandstone.
—Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 3 June 2025
But 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub impactor that wiped out the dinosaurs and much of the Cretaceous period’s fauna also kick-started a hydrothermal system that became a hotbed for life to recover in the local area.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2025
That move helped spawn two other Sun Belt NHL franchises, including one in Anaheim, and also spurred a huge uptick in hockey participation among kids not only in Southern California but other areas not previously known as hockey hotbeds.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
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David Browne, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2025
The area has also become a hotbed of rock climbing, and the most popular crag for out-of-towners is Stone Fort, a bouldering area 20 miles north of downtown with 400 problems on high quality sandstone.
—Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 3 June 2025
But 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub impactor that wiped out the dinosaurs and much of the Cretaceous period’s fauna also kick-started a hydrothermal system that became a hotbed for life to recover in the local area.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2025
That move helped spawn two other Sun Belt NHL franchises, including one in Anaheim, and also spurred a huge uptick in hockey participation among kids not only in Southern California but other areas not previously known as hockey hotbeds.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
Cite this Entry
“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.
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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