cottage industry

American  

noun

1. the production, for sale, of goods at home, as the making of handicrafts by rural families.

2. any small-scale, loosely organized industry.

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cottage industry British  

noun

1. an industry in which employees work in their own homes, often using their own equipment

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Etymology

Origin of cottage industry

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Microsoft, Amazon and others are planting flags in a new cottage industry as publishers look for additional revenue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

An entire cottage industry of startups and consultants has emerged to help retailers and brands ensure their products appear in AI search results, a field called Generative Engine Optimization.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

The honour has cast a global spotlight on a fragile cottage industry battling labour shortages, rampant adulteration and dwindling sap supplies.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

She explains many treatments were never formally recorded at the time, and describes the treatment as operating like a "cottage industry", with hospitals and clinics quietly replicating the method across the country.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

If eugenics was becoming a cottage industry in Germany, it was already a full-fledged national operation in America.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee