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
The cruelty bred other cruelties, like the cottage industry of hustlers that emerged to take advantage of parents’ desperation.
—Matthieu Aikins Bryan Denton, New York Times, 22 May 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for cottage industry 
Matthieu Aikins Bryan Denton, New York Times, 22 May 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for cottage industry
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
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“Cottage industry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cottage%20industry. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
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