lower 48
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of lower 48
First recorded in 1965–70
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.
Even spotting a grizzly in the wild is still relatively unusual in the lower 48 states.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Long-suffering Golden State power customers already pay the highest electricity rates in the lower 48 states.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
There were an estimated about 8,000 animals across the lower 48 states in 2022, according to a compilation of wildlife agency data by the Wolf Conservation Center.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States since 2017, and there will not be another that is visible in the lower 48 states until 2044.
From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2024
Hill and Aragon note that of all the water stored in the form of snow in the lower 48, 72% of it is in the mountains, though mountains cover just 16% of the total area.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024
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.
