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
Fort Worth, Texas Lately, Fort Worth has stepped out of the shadow of its sister city, Dallas, as a hotbed of serious ’cue.
—
Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 23 July 2025
Set in New Mexico during 2020, the movie centers on the fictional town of Eddington, which turns into a hotbed of bad feelings and controversy when awkward local sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to run for mayor against popular progressive incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 July 2025
The dispute has been building for months after the Trump administration demanded a series of policy and governance changes at Harvard, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and accusing it of tolerating anti-Jewish harassment.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
This small island in the Mediterranean is one of the closest to North Africa and has been a hotbed of conflict, colonization and military maneuvers during the war.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
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Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 23 July 2025
Set in New Mexico during 2020, the movie centers on the fictional town of Eddington, which turns into a hotbed of bad feelings and controversy when awkward local sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to run for mayor against popular progressive incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 July 2025
The dispute has been building for months after the Trump administration demanded a series of policy and governance changes at Harvard, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and accusing it of tolerating anti-Jewish harassment.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
This small island in the Mediterranean is one of the closest to North Africa and has been a hotbed of conflict, colonization and military maneuvers during the war.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
Cite this Entry
“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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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