lower 48

Or Low·er 48

[loh-er fawr-tee-eyt]

noun

Informal.

1. the conterminous United States.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lower 48¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Even seeing a grizzly bear is pretty uncommon in the lower 48 states.

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MacLeod was jammed against a potbellied stove with a metal chimney that stuck out through the roof, making it the highest point in the Lower 48 states.

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And, for her efforts, Alaskans are poised to be better protected from the effects of the Republican austerity budget than Americans in the lower 48.

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A California teen who walked off a cliff while experiencing altitude-related hallucinations on the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states has begun a slow recovery but remains in a medically induced coma, his family said.

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Then, they would freeze some of the sperm of the males there and take that — plus 10 live, adult starfish and larvae — back with them to the Lower 48.

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