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• Bible Belt
  Bible Belt

  noun

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

  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]

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

See Examples For:

Bible Belt Bible belt

Growing up in the Bible Belt, I took great solace in promises of God’s protection, His plans for my life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

Mark was from the Bible Belt; my parents were Holocaust survivors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025

As fans will know by now, Roan was born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz and raised in the Bible Belt town of Willard, Missouri.

From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2025

You know, we're in the South, we're in the Bible Belt.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2023

You probably don’t know this, but Oklahoma is called Tornado Alley, and also the Buckle of the Bible Belt, which means it’s a great place to hide.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

You grew up in America's conservative Bible belt.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2024

We will sing hymns that congregants in churches in the Bible belt will also be singing that day, and we will sing them without fear, or self-loathing, or shame.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2022

Related: I am a Christian from the Bible belt.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2016

I am not a Christian, and don't want people to think of me as one, but living in the Bible belt, with a large majority Christian population, most people assume I am anyway.

From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2013

Hollywood recently remade the 80s movie Footloose about a town in the Bible belt that forbade dancing, meaning kids have to sneak into abandoned farmhouses to get their groove on.

From Forbes ● Oct. 19, 2011