hotbed

noun hot·bed \ ˈhät-ˌbed \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of hotbed

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

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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 of hotbed from the Web

Louisville has long been the gateway to the surrounding bourbon country, and now the industry has gone back to its pre-Prohibition urban roots, and Main Street, once known as Whiskey Row, is again the hotbed of all the new activity.

— larry olmsted, USA TODAY, "Derby City's spot for barbecue, oysters and Southern food," 2 May 2018
The district, which covers parts of Glendale, Avondale and north Phoenix, is a hotbed of activism in the teacher walkout movement, known as #RedforEd.

— New York Times, "Teacher Pay Is So Low in Some U.S. School Districts That They’re Recruiting Overseas," 2 May 2018
At the time, the Bay Area was a hotbed of oft-violent anti-government demonstrations and black nationalism, and groups like the BLA and Weather Underground regularly attacked police and other government entities.

— eliott c. mclaughlin, CNN, "Police, widow blast New York decision to parole 3-time cop killer," 30 Apr. 2018
The YouTube Kids app is a separate, stand-alone app for smartphones and tablets, aimed at offering a safer video experience than the main YouTube app, which is a hotbed of viral videos aimed at adults.

— jefferson graham, USA TODAY, "YouTube responds to critics with YouTube Kids update — it's curated," 25 Apr. 2018
These days, the Marina food and drink scene is a hotbed of activity, especially in its number of places not solely courting the San Francisco local crowd.

— justin phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Stock in Trade to bid farewell to the Marina crowd after six years," 24 Apr. 2018
In other city neighborhoods that were hotbeds of violence and dysfunction, like Harlem and Washington Heights, crime declines have coincided with demographic shifts brought on by gentrification and economic uplift.

— ashley southall, New York Times, "Once the ‘Killing Fields,’ East New York Has No Murders in 2018," 20 Apr. 2018
Train with Nike in Switzerland The Swiss Alps are a hotbed of hot bods.

— natalie b. compton, GQ, "Spring Clean Your Winter Bod at These Wellness-Focused Luxe Hotels," 29 Mar. 2018
While this will undoubtedly house minor disturbances between those travelling and the native Russians, Kaliningrad (the venue for the Three Lions vs Belgium) will be a hotbed.

— SI.com, "FanView: Why England Fan Trouble Is Not on the Rise Again Despite Latest Incidents," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hotbed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.