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
Brazil became a hotbed for disinformation ahead of the 2018 election won by Jair Bolsonaro.
—
Mauricio Savarese and Gabriela Sá Pessoa, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2024
Russia’s Defense Ministry has long been widely perceived as a hotbed of corruption.
—Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hotbed 
Mauricio Savarese and Gabriela Sá Pessoa, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2024
Russia’s Defense Ministry has long been widely perceived as a hotbed of corruption.
—Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 14 May 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 29 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 innovation
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