rust belt

noun

variants often Rust Belt
: the northeastern and midwestern states of the U.S. in which heavy industry has declined

called also rust bowl

Examples of rust belt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The rust belt may become a new Silicon Valley, which would boost the quality of life for millions of Americans living in that area. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025 And annexing Ukraine’s southeast, in particular, would mean taking ownership of an industrial rust belt and hundreds of loss-producing coal mines. — Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2014 Gavin Moulton, the writer and photographer behind the popular X account rust belt roadtrip, circulated the post more. — Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 21 Oct. 2025 There are other particularly sort of rust belts, industrial Northeast, and Midwest cities that have had some blight, like for example, Pittsburgh. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 18 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rust belt

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rust belt was in 1982

Rhymes for rust belt

See All Rhymes for rust belt

Browse Nearby Words

rust
rust belt
rust brown
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rust belt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rust%20belt. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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