hotbed
Americannoun
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a bottomless, boxlike, usually glass-covered structure and the bed of earth it covers, heated typically by fermenting manure or electrical cables, for growing plants out of season.
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a place or environment favoring rapid growth or spread, especially of something disliked or unwanted.
a hotbed of disease.
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Slang. a bed shared by two or more persons in shifts, each sleeping in it for or at a designated time and then vacating it for the next occupant.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a glass-covered bed of soil, usually heated by fermenting material, used for propagating plants, forcing early vegetables, etc
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a place offering ideal conditions for the growth of an idea, activity, etc, esp one considered bad
a hotbed of insurrection
Etymology
Origin of hotbed
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 village of Tarlaguda, once a rebel hotbed, hopes are high that peace will bring change.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Europe is widely regarded as a hotbed of quantum innovation.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
The south west of the country is a particular hotbed, with six of the 10 Team GB curlers having links to the area.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
To some, Janick’s background in rock made him a strange fit to head the label long known as a hip-hop hotbed thanks to the likes of Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
Mica Area High School—MAHS—was not exactly a hotbed of nonconformity.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
