beltway
Americannoun
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Also called belt highway. a highway around the perimeter of an urban area.
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the Beltway, the Washington, D.C., area within the highway that encircles it.
noun
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the usual US name for a ring road
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(usually with capital)
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the people and institutions located in the area bounded by the Washington Beltway, taken to be politically and socially out of touch with the rest of America and much given to political intrigue
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( as modifier )
Beltway Cassandras
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Etymology
Origin of beltway
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The gloves have long needed to be dropped, and that means the patrons here will enjoy some beltway WWE.
From Slate ● Nov. 19, 2025
But warm words and familiarity do not pay for lunch along the Washington beltway.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2025
So now you’re going to have that increased traffic around the beltway, as well as increased traffic in both the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and the Fort McHenry Tunnel.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore also tweeted condolences, saying his “heart goes out to the victims and the families affected by the tragic crash on the 695 beltway this afternoon.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2023
It was to have more than 10,000 magnets arranged in a loop 54 miles around, about the size of the beltway highway that circles Washington, D.C.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
