1
: a bed of soil enclosed in glass, heated especially by fermenting manure, and used for forcing or for raising seedlings
2
: an environment that favors rapid growth or development
a hotbed of activity
Examples of hotbed in a Sentence
a hotbed of political unrest
prerevolutionary Boston was viewed as a hotbed of treason by the British
Recent Examples on the Web
The distinctive lifestyle of elite athletes can create a hotbed for eating disorders and disordered eating, meaning restrictive, compulsive, irregular or inflexible eating patterns, all of which can occur on a spectrum.
—
Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
The collaboration comes amid New York Fashion Week, when Balthazar becomes a hotbed of fashionistas and industry insiders.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
While social media was, and continues to be, a hotbed of culture-war goofiness, people yelling about lentils in the comments section of Jezebel hardly accounts for the rise of RFK Jr.
—Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
In 1987, Zurich was a hotbed of radical feminism.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
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Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
The collaboration comes amid New York Fashion Week, when Balthazar becomes a hotbed of fashionistas and industry insiders.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
While social media was, and continues to be, a hotbed of culture-war goofiness, people yelling about lentils in the comments section of Jezebel hardly accounts for the rise of RFK Jr.
—Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
In 1987, Zurich was a hotbed of radical feminism.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
Cite this Entry
“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hotbed
noun
hot·bed
ˈhät-ˌbed 
1
: a heated bed of soil enclosed in glass and used for growing seedlings
2
: an environment that favors rapid growth or development
a hotbed of innovation
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