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
Swapping a beltway bon vivant for the so-called Prince of Darkness is, however, a risk.
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2025
You already have the normal traffic volume around the beltway.
From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2024
The stretch of highway was closed for hours Wednesday in both directions, snarling traffic along the west side of the beltway, which circles Baltimore.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 23, 2023
We pulled onto 1-465, the beltway that circumscribes Indianapolis.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
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.
