Bible Belt

American  

noun

1. an area of the U.S., chiefly in the South and Midwest, noted for its religious fundamentalism.

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Bible Belt British  

noun

1. those states of the S US where Protestant fundamentalism is dominant

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Bible Belt Cultural  

1. An area of the United States, including the South and parts of the Middle West, where fervent Protestant fundamentalism is strong. (See Scopes trial.)

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Bible belt Idioms  

1. An area noted for religious fundamentalism; specifically, parts of the American South and Midwest. For example, You wouldn't dare try to sell a sex manual in the Bible belt. This term alludes to the prevalence of evangelical revivals, strict morals, belief in the literal truth of the Bible, and similar traits. [c. 1920]

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Etymology

Origin of Bible Belt

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

"And at the same time, there's been a wave of people moving to small town America precisely because they like the Bible Belt, they like the conservative traditional culture."

From BBC

North Africa was by then the Bible Belt of the late Roman West, characterized by intense Christian devotion and intellectual ferment.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I am smack-dab right in the middle of the Bible Belt,” said the leader of a tiny district on the western side of the state.

From Salon

Most days, in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Bible Belt, the old sanctuary at Christ Lutheran Church sits empty.

From Salon

"North Africa was the Bible Belt of ancient Christianity," says Prof Christopher Bellitto, a historian at Kean University in the US.

From BBC