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
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
Those events established Columbia’s reputation as a hotbed of dissent where social and political change takes root before spreading to the rest of the country — often at great cost to the institution.
—
C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024
In recent weeks, UCLA, like other universities across the country, has emerged as a hotbed of pro-Palestinian activism.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hotbed 
C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024
In recent weeks, UCLA, like other universities across the country, has emerged as a hotbed of pro-Palestinian activism.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hotbed
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hotbed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hotbed
Cite this Entry
“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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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