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
German immigrants brought pretzels to colonial Pennsylvania in the early 1700s and the region remains a hotbed of pretzel production.
—
Mike Snider, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The problem, for residents, is that the area has become a hotbed for development but not for infrastructure changes.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Sonja Shaw Shaw is the Chino Valley Unified School District board president and a Republican activist who emerged as a major player in the COVID-era parental rights movement as conservative families grew concerned that public schools were becoming hotbeds of leftist indoctrination.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The tri-border area has long been a hotbed for extremist violence, a trend worsened by the lack of security cooperation with Niger and Burkina Faso, both now led by military juntas.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
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Mike Snider, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The problem, for residents, is that the area has become a hotbed for development but not for infrastructure changes.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Sonja Shaw Shaw is the Chino Valley Unified School District board president and a Republican activist who emerged as a major player in the COVID-era parental rights movement as conservative families grew concerned that public schools were becoming hotbeds of leftist indoctrination.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The tri-border area has long been a hotbed for extremist violence, a trend worsened by the lack of security cooperation with Niger and Burkina Faso, both now led by military juntas.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Apr. 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 27 Apr. 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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