cottage industry

noun

1
: an industry whose labor force consists of family units or individuals working at home with their own equipment
2
: a small and often informally organized industry
3
: a limited but enthusiastically pursued activity or subject
this debate about sex and law became a cottage industry for feminist academicsWendy Kaminer

Examples of cottage industry in a Sentence

weaving, pottery, and other cottage industries
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The liability law has created a cottage industry where lawsuits and settlements are almost automatic. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025 Thinking this through involves a lot of conversation and sometimes a cottage industry of coaches, mediators, and lawyers. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2025 Since then, cooling atoms and trapping them has become a cottage industry, giving rise to optical atomic clocks, atomic navigation systems, and neutral-atom quantum computers. IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2025 The sordid history of Oklahoma’s second-largest city has become a kind of cottage industry for Hollywood in recent years. Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cottage industry

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cottage industry was in 1849

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cottage industry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cottage%20industry. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on cottage industry

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!