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
To tap into this fanatical consumer interest in ASMR and slime, a cottage industry is emerging.
—Nicole Gull McElroy, WIRED, 13 July 2024
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s enduring style has become a cottage industry unto itself with fans and followers still copying some of her signature looks, and authors like Elizabeth Beller and Sunita Kumar Nair referencing her fashion choices in their books.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 27 June 2024
Meanwhile, a cottage industry of cell phone storage crept up at businesses near schools, costing families.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024
Popular on Variety Though Hollywood’s impressive cottage industry of creative boutiques that craft film and TV marketing campaigns don’t typically cast a big shadow at the Lions, advertising in every industry competes for these awards.
—Robert Marich, Variety, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for cottage industry 
Nicole Gull McElroy, WIRED, 13 July 2024
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s enduring style has become a cottage industry unto itself with fans and followers still copying some of her signature looks, and authors like Elizabeth Beller and Sunita Kumar Nair referencing her fashion choices in their books.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 27 June 2024
Meanwhile, a cottage industry of cell phone storage crept up at businesses near schools, costing families.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024
Popular on Variety Though Hollywood’s impressive cottage industry of creative boutiques that craft film and TV marketing campaigns don’t typically cast a big shadow at the Lions, advertising in every industry competes for these awards.
—Robert Marich, Variety, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for cottage industry
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 Jul. 2024.
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