hotbed

noun

hot·​bed ˈhät-ˌbed 

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

Synonyms of hotbed

• center
• mecca
• nest

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

As the train pulls into Srinagar, Kashmir’s capital and a hotbed of the 2019 unrest, Abdul Rasheed Mir is waiting for a local train to his hometown of Qazigund. — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2026

Eric Hartman a strong late-round find Eric Hartman was Atlanta’s 2024 20th-round pick out of Okotoks, Alberta, just outside of Calgary, which is not exactly a hotbed of young baseball talent. — Keith Law, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Go inside the football hotbed that leads Georgia’s 159 counties in prospects per capita. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 6 July 2026

Schlittler and Rice, two first-time selections from the Boston area – the Northeast isn’t exactly a hotbed for baseball talent – could end up playing a major part in All-Star festivities. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hotbed

• abed
• ahead
• beachhead
• bedspread
• bedstead
• behead
• blackhead
• blockhead
• bloodshed
• bowhead
• breastfed
• bridgehead

Kids 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