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
With over 75 dinosaur species —including a new species discovered last year — Montana is a hotbed for dinosaur fossils.
—
Alex Temblador, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
There’s a lot of controversy swirling around surveillance technology, and Atlanta is a hotbed of it.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 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
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
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Alex Temblador, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
There’s a lot of controversy swirling around surveillance technology, and Atlanta is a hotbed of it.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 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
See All Example Sentences for hotbed
Cite this Entry
“Hotbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotbed. Accessed 6 May. 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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