as in centers
a place or environment that favors the development of something
prerevolutionary Boston was viewed as a hotbed of treason by the British
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Recent Examples of hotbeds
Twenty-six of the schools who’ve produced more than Carroll are located in the California or Florida hotbeds.
—
Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
The early-season tournaments or invitationals, such as Clearwater two weeks ago or the gem of this past week, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, are hotbeds for shocking upsets and surprising — and sometimes uncharacteristic — early-season thrillers.
—Molly Keshin, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Those places aren’t exactly hotbeds for future big leaguers.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Some scientific disciplines have become hotbeds for slop.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
The second decade of the 20th century had seen San Diego become one of the world’s hotbeds for innovation and development in the nascent field of manned flight.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
At the time, Oakland was one of the hotbeds where protesters and police clashed.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
The ivory tower is losing luster by the second, after campuses around the country proved to be hotbeds of antisemitism, grade inflation has spiked rather than dissipated, and outrageous tuitions fund outlandish administrative salaries.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
The armed forces are not often seen as hotbeds of creativity.
—Big Think, 27 Oct. 2025
Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
The early-season tournaments or invitationals, such as Clearwater two weeks ago or the gem of this past week, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, are hotbeds for shocking upsets and surprising — and sometimes uncharacteristic — early-season thrillers.
—Molly Keshin, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Those places aren’t exactly hotbeds for future big leaguers.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Some scientific disciplines have become hotbeds for slop.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
The second decade of the 20th century had seen San Diego become one of the world’s hotbeds for innovation and development in the nascent field of manned flight.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
At the time, Oakland was one of the hotbeds where protesters and police clashed.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
The ivory tower is losing luster by the second, after campuses around the country proved to be hotbeds of antisemitism, grade inflation has spiked rather than dissipated, and outrageous tuitions fund outlandish administrative salaries.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
The armed forces are not often seen as hotbeds of creativity.
—Big Think, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hotbeds
Noun
-
As gardeners head to their local garden centers early in the growing season, many seek organically sound amendments and treatments to support their vegetable gardens.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Iran struck Amazon Web Services data centers in the Middle East in early March, causing outages in a number of apps and digital services in the United Arab Emirates.—
Luke Fountain,Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
With one day left to declare candidacy in the race for Los Angeles mayor, all eyes are on Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer behind outdoor shopping meccas like The Grove.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
-
After all, the Moroccan city is one of the world's great shopping meccas.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Adding the right fertilizer to your soil can make a major difference in growth and root strength—and garage sales, Facebook Marketplace, and plant nurseries are great places to buy unwanted bags for less.—
Nishaa Sharma,
The Spruce,
4 Apr. 2026
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Though big-box plant stores and global retailers have threatened to price out small nurseries in the area, Johnson said Talini’s serves a niche purpose for gardeners that has helped protect it.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Now the tomatoes are heirloom from hothouses, and unfortunately, my tomato slices were mushy.—
Louisa Kung Liu Chu,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
-
These hothouses draw an inexhaustible supply of idealistic pilgrims who’ve chosen to forego more stable and remunerative career paths in pursuit of the high-wire act that is a meaningful creative life.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
-
Taylor grew up evangelical and got a master’s from Fuller Theological Seminary, at the time one of the country’s most prominent evangelical seminaries.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
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Most of them reside and run seminaries in the holy cities of Qom in Iran and Najaf in Iraq.—
Eric Lob,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Birds are outfitting their nests with cigarette butts.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
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What’s driving the surge Life transitions in your 40s and 50s — empty nests, divorce, career pivots or simply reclaiming personal freedom — are sparking the desire to travel solo.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hotbeds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hotbeds. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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