hotbed

Definition

n. a place where something grows or spreads very quickly, often something bad like crime or anger. You use it when one area creates a lot of that thing.

n. a place or environment where a particular activity, belief, or undesirable condition develops and spreads rapidly. Typically appears in the phrase 'a hotbed of' followed by an abstract noun.

simple

“This neighbourhood is a hotbed for new restaurants.”

contextual

“The university lab became a hotbed of innovation after the new funding arrived.”

complex

“The port city, with its crowded markets and restless sailors, served as a hotbed for radical ideas that soon spread inland.”

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “hotbed” in context.

Verb

01. become hotbed

“After the factory closures, the town became a hotbed of anger and protest.”

verb + noun

02. create hotbed

“Poverty and unemployment can create a hotbed for crime and unrest.”

verb + noun

03. emerge from hotbed

“Several leading activists emerged from this political hotbed in the 1980s.”

verb + prep + noun

04. hotbed breeds

“The overcrowded prison is a hotbed that breeds violence and resentment.”

noun + verb

05. hotbed fosters

“The forum is a hotbed that fosters radical views among teenagers.”

noun + verb

Adjective

06. cultural hotbed

“Shoreditch is a cultural hotbed for young artists, musicians and designers.”

adj + noun

07. fertile hotbed

“Online forums have become a fertile hotbed for rumours and conspiracy theories.”

adj + noun

Noun

08. hotbed of crime

“The port area was once a hotbed of crime and smuggling.”

noun + prep + noun

09. a cultural hotbed for artists

“Lisbon is now a cultural hotbed for artists from across Europe.”

10. a fertile hotbed for innovation

“The university campus is a fertile hotbed for innovation and startups.”

11. a notorious hotbed of violence

“In the 1990s, the city was a notorious hotbed of violence.”

12. become a hotbed of crime

“Without jobs and policing, the district could become a hotbed of crime.”

Commonly appears as 'a hotbed of' + noun (a hotbed of crime, a hotbed of dissent).

“Ghana's western region is a hotbed for illegal gold mining, known as galamsey.”

BBC 6 Dec 2024

“A religious group in South Korea has been identified as a coronavirus hotbed, officials say, amid a sharp rise in confirmed cases in the country.”

BBC 20 Feb 2020

“Social media has become a hotbed of extremism, used to undermine democracy, a think-tank said on Wednesday, calling for reforms to restore trust in government and banish fringe elements.”

Reuters 22 Jan 2020

“Three weeks into its offensive against militants in the tribal region of North Waziristan, Pakistan's military has taken the media to see Miranshah, formerly a hotbed of Taliban activity.”

BBC 10 Jul 2014

From hot + bed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

hotbed(B2)

ADJECTIVE