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 setting comes as mercenary malware sold by NSO Group and a cottage industry of other exploit sellers continues to thrive. ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025 There's even a cottage industry for those who might be figuring out how to announce their own bundles of joy to the world. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025 There’s a cottage industry of low-budget, VOD movies that shoot in Eastern European countries such as Romania and Bulgaria for the low labor costs and tax incentives. Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 4 May 2025 Daisy, and a motley group of co-workers, toil in a cottage industry of agencies that evaluate harmful and offensive pictures and videos uploaded to social media. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Mar. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Cottage industry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cottage%20industry. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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