Sunbelt
noun ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An area or belt of land that receives a lot of sun; specifically, a zone comprising the southern and western states of the USA where the weather is typically sunny, characterised by an influx of population from the north and often typified as having conservative political views. US
"Anglos to whom I talked in Miami […] persisted in the related illusions that the city was small, manageable, prosperous in a predictable broad-based way, southern in a progressive sunbelt way, American, and belonged to them."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of sunbelt. alt-of
"After all, Richmond—the capital of Virginia—is much closer to New York City in terms of mileage than it is to Atlanta, Georgia, the city on the East Coast most widely considered to be quintessentially Sunbelt."
Example
More examples"Many retired people move to the Sunbelt to enjoy sports such as golf or tennis in a milder climate."
Etymology
Compound of sun + belt. Purportedly coined by American politician Sam Rayburn.
Related phrases
More for "sunbelt"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.