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Glite Dictionary
Sun Belt

Sun Belt

2 3.6
A warm part of the southern and southwestern United States that attracts people and businesses
  • proper noun
  • /sʌn bɛlt/
  • US
translation icon : Cinturón Solar
  • The economic growth in the Sun Belt has attracted numerous new residents in recent years.

Examples

  • As businesses left, Midwestern and Northeastern baby-boom graduates were often unable to find jobs at home and migrated to the Sun Belt to begin their careers (Pandit 1997).

    Academic text (2008)

  • The core of Sun Belt economic growth in the eastern United States was the Carolina and Georgia Piedmont.

    Academic text (2008)

  • They call it the Sun Belt.

    Donnie Brasco (1997)

  • This is, after all, Canada's version of the Sun Belt.

    Academic text (1999)

  • If previous patterns continue, many of the boomers will seek out places in the Sun Belt that cater to their age-specific needs.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Many municipal governments, especially those in the Sun Belt, feel a growing sense of urgency to start preparing for the future by building communities that are friendly to retirees.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Many business owners moved to the Sun Belt in search of inexpensive land, low wages, and greater accessibility to the national market (Moon 1987; Hartshorn 1997).

    Academic text (2008)

  • The Sun Belt is known for its warm climate and vibrant cities.

  • Many people are moving to the Sun Belt for better job opportunities and warmer weather.

Synonyms

Sunbelt
vsSun Belt
  • US
3 5.6

A warm southern US region where many people move and cities grow quickly

is the same name but written as two separate words

Surface Forms

Sun Belt main

Morphology

Sun + belt

The name combines 'sun' (sunny) with 'belt' (a band/area), so a learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it means a sunny region. However, 'belt' used metaphorically for a geographic/political zone and the full US-specific socio-political sense are conventional and require extra cultural or lexical knowledge, making the connection only partially predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Sun Belt comes from the image of a Belt of Sun across the southern United States, a wide band of states with warm weather and lots of sunshine. So Sun Belt now means the 'region' of southern and southwestern states known for its warm climate, growing population and strong political influence.