Southwestern United States
1
2.8
- proper noun
:
suroeste de Estados Unidos
- Its operations would also use less water, an important consideration in the arid southwestern United States.
- district in the Southwestern United States
- university in the Southwestern United States
- city in the Southwestern United States
Examples
-
The study was conducted at an elementary school in the southwestern United States.
Academic text (2015) -
The survey was conducted during the fall 2006 semester in one of the largest public universities in the southwestern United States.
Academic text (2015) -
But it has not been found in the southwestern United States or Mexico yet.
Academic text (2006) -
I have taken this approach, typically focusing on the Southwestern United States.
Academic text (1996) -
In all, 21 students were recruited from five different universities located in the southwestern United States.
Academic text (1996) -
Participants for this study were 20 teachers working in 18 elementary schools in the southwestern United States.
Academic text (2014) -
The study was conducted in two elementary schools in a district located in the southwestern United States near a large metropolitan area.
Academic text (2015) -
The two participating middle-level schools were located in different cities of the southwestern United States, more than 400 miles apart.
Academic text (2015) -
Participants were drawn from seven middle schools in two cities (three school districts) in the southwestern United States.
Academic text (2014) -
The study was conducted at an elementary school in the Southwestern United States.
Synonyms
4
2.3
A part of the United States between south and west, often hot and dry, like Arizona and New Mexico
Surface Forms
Morphology
southwestern + united + state
The phrase is directly compositional: 'southwestern' denotes a directional/regional part and combines with 'United States' (the country) to yield the southwestern region of the U.S., so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer this meaning. This is a standard geographic naming pattern found across languages, making the MWE immediately understandable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Southwestern United States comes from a simple map idea: it names the part of the United States that lies to the south and west. That's why the phrase means this area, often the states of New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.