cottage industry
noun
1
: an industry whose labor force consists of family units or individuals working at home with their own equipment
2
: a small and often informally organized industry
3
: a limited but enthusiastically pursued activity or subject
this debate about sex and law became a cottage industry for feminist academics—
Wendy Kaminer
Wendy KaminerExamples of cottage industry in a Sentence
weaving, pottery, and other cottage industries
Recent Examples on the Web
Like a cottage industry around fashion’s biggest night, a number of late-night soirées pop up around New York City every first Monday in May—or, technically every first early Tuesday morning.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 7 May 2024
The Express Research Workshop belongs to a growing cottage industry of businesses, consultants, and nonprofits dangling seemingly easy publications for the more than 12,000 international medical graduates who apply for U.S. residency positions every year.
—Byfrederik Joelving, science.org, 3 May 2024
She’s been running her own cottage industry, Raven Marching Band Records, while raising two kids.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Apr. 2024
Disney has created a cottage industry with Freaky Friday, which includes several movies as well as a Broadway production.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
Ancillary revenue generators helped spur the development of a cottage industry of smaller preservation services.
—Brent Simon, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Since disappearing, Earhart keeps surfacing, born aloft on wild postulations from a cottage industry staffed with history buffs, aviation nerds and undersea explorers.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
In response, some city residents have banded together to form a cottage industry of nonprofits and organizations whose goal is to reduce gun violence and serve gun violence victims, survivors and their families.
—Michel Martin, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
As Trump campaigns to retake the White House, polls suggest Republicans have become increasingly willing to accept his pronouncements, even as a cottage industry of fact-checkers suggests reality lies elsewhere.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Elise Taylor, Vogue, 7 May 2024
The Express Research Workshop belongs to a growing cottage industry of businesses, consultants, and nonprofits dangling seemingly easy publications for the more than 12,000 international medical graduates who apply for U.S. residency positions every year.
—Byfrederik Joelving, science.org, 3 May 2024
She’s been running her own cottage industry, Raven Marching Band Records, while raising two kids.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Apr. 2024
Disney has created a cottage industry with Freaky Friday, which includes several movies as well as a Broadway production.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
Ancillary revenue generators helped spur the development of a cottage industry of smaller preservation services.
—Brent Simon, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Since disappearing, Earhart keeps surfacing, born aloft on wild postulations from a cottage industry staffed with history buffs, aviation nerds and undersea explorers.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
In response, some city residents have banded together to form a cottage industry of nonprofits and organizations whose goal is to reduce gun violence and serve gun violence victims, survivors and their families.
—Michel Martin, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
As Trump campaigns to retake the White House, polls suggest Republicans have become increasingly willing to accept his pronouncements, even as a cottage industry of fact-checkers suggests reality lies elsewhere.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cottage industry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cottage industry
Cite this Entry
“Cottage industry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cottage%20industry. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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