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
Germany, for example, which is Europe’s largest economy, with a nominal GDP of $4.4 trillion, continued to be a hotbed of faxing, both analogue and online.
—
Tamsin Gable, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Romania has also been a hotbed of sociopolitical protests.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
By the time Carter was at the forefront of the New South movement in the early 1970s, his home state was known as a hotbed of powerful musical output, including James Brown, Ray Charles, and Otis Redding.
—Allison Hussey, Pitchfork, 29 Dec. 2024
Republicans have repeatedly accused the school of being a hotbed of antisemitism because of protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
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Tamsin Gable, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Romania has also been a hotbed of sociopolitical protests.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
By the time Carter was at the forefront of the New South movement in the early 1970s, his home state was known as a hotbed of powerful musical output, including James Brown, Ray Charles, and Otis Redding.
—Allison Hussey, Pitchfork, 29 Dec. 2024
Republicans have repeatedly accused the school of being a hotbed of antisemitism because of protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 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 31 Mar. 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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