beltway

[belt-wey]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR beltway ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called belt highway. a highway around the perimeter of an urban area.

the Beltway, the Washington, D.C., area within the highway that encircles it.

Origin of beltway

First recorded in 1950–55; belt + way¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for beltway

thoroughfare, highway, superhighway, artery, road, interstate, thruway, parkway, beltway

Examples from the Web for beltway

Contemporary Examples of beltway

It was just something they knew they had to say for a while to sound responsible in Beltway land.
How Can Dems Be Losing to These Idiots?
Michael Tomasky
October 29, 2014
After all, Beltway elites—and many voters—are under the impression that the Republican Party is still nostalgic for the Cold War.
Rick Perry: America’s Next Top Strategist?
James Poulos
September 20, 2014
But travel outside the Beltway, and the conversation about impeachment is far from abstract.
Don’t Be Fooled: The GOP Wants Impeachment
David Freedlander
August 1, 2014
For Sanders, all of that speculation is nonsense, Beltway gossip that is distracting people from running to the barricades.
Can This Ornery Socialist Spoil the Clinton Coronation?
David Freedlander
July 2, 2014
He also may find unexpected support from inside the Beltway.
Runoff Required in Mississippi’s Dirtiest Primary
Ben Jacobs
June 4, 2014

British Dictionary definitions for beltway

beltway

noun

the usual US name for a ring road

(usually with capital)

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
(as modifier)Beltway Cassandras

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for beltway

term in U.S. for a ring highway around an urban area, especially Interstate 495 around Washington, D.C., the Capital Beltway, completed 1964. Figurative for "Washington, D.C., and its culture" for better or worse, since c.1978.