cottage industry
Americannoun
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the production, for sale, of goods at home, as the making of handicrafts by rural families.
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any small-scale, loosely organized industry.
noun
Etymology
Origin of cottage industry
First recorded in 1920–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the intervening years, however, a cottage industry of compounding pharmacies emerged, including Ro and Hims & Hers Health.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Midlife retreats are a cottage industry within the broader umbrella of wellness tourism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
As a result, a cottage industry of mental health “expat therapists” has emerged, helping people navigate these complex emotions of moving abroad.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
A whole cottage industry has also developed online to advise landlords how to flip rental properties.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Daniel and Moses thought they were paying a courtesy call on a cottage industry, but the cottage was a castle.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
