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 academics—
Wendy Kaminer
Wendy KaminerExamples of cottage industry in a Sentence
weaving, pottery, and other cottage industries
Recent Examples on the Web
Fierce competition breeds cottage industries that promise advantages to the children of parents who can afford them.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Co-writer/director Joseph Kosinski is making a cottage industry out of turning sixty into the new forty for Hollywood leading men.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Nintendo has built a cottage industry out of reselling its classics over and over again.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Both industrialized what had previously been cottage industries—in Ford’s case, the artisanal carriage trade; in Seabrook’s, market gardening.
—John Seabrook
june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cottage industry
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.
Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Co-writer/director Joseph Kosinski is making a cottage industry out of turning sixty into the new forty for Hollywood leading men.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Nintendo has built a cottage industry out of reselling its classics over and over again.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Both industrialized what had previously been cottage industries—in Ford’s case, the artisanal carriage trade; in Seabrook’s, market gardening.
—John Seabrook
june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cottage industry
Cite this Entry
“Cottage industry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cottage%20industry. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share