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
In response, some city residents have banded together to form a cottage industry of nonprofits and organizations whose goal is to reduce gun violence and serve gun violence victims, survivors and their families.
—Michel Martin, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
As Trump campaigns to retake the White House, polls suggest Republicans have become increasingly willing to accept his pronouncements, even as a cottage industry of fact-checkers suggests reality lies elsewhere.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Recently, a cottage industry operating mostly on social media has sprung up to address this longstanding lack, offering advice and services to thousands of sufferers who turn to the internet for answers.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 25 Mar. 2024
And calling out images that were created by artificial intelligence without proper labeling has become a virtual cottage industry in the media world.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Since then, research and rankings on presidential greatness have bloomed into a cottage industry.
—Jonathan Bean, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024
The direct-sales pitch is that this woman can run a cottage industry from home in her spare time, on her own terms, without having to pay for a babysitter or a business degree, and surrounded by a like-minded community of effusive salespeople and instant friends.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
There is an entire cottage industry around the British royals and their lives, public and private.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024
The moves are a painful step backward for the venture capital industry, which spent the last decade transforming from a cottage industry into a global force.
—Erin Griffith, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Michel Martin, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
As Trump campaigns to retake the White House, polls suggest Republicans have become increasingly willing to accept his pronouncements, even as a cottage industry of fact-checkers suggests reality lies elsewhere.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Recently, a cottage industry operating mostly on social media has sprung up to address this longstanding lack, offering advice and services to thousands of sufferers who turn to the internet for answers.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 25 Mar. 2024
And calling out images that were created by artificial intelligence without proper labeling has become a virtual cottage industry in the media world.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Since then, research and rankings on presidential greatness have bloomed into a cottage industry.
—Jonathan Bean, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024
The direct-sales pitch is that this woman can run a cottage industry from home in her spare time, on her own terms, without having to pay for a babysitter or a business degree, and surrounded by a like-minded community of effusive salespeople and instant friends.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
There is an entire cottage industry around the British royals and their lives, public and private.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024
The moves are a painful step backward for the venture capital industry, which spent the last decade transforming from a cottage industry into a global force.
—Erin Griffith, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cottage industry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cottage industry
Cite this Entry
“Cottage industry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cottage%20industry. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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