Beltway

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A 64-mile Interstate freeway surrounding Washington, D.C.

2. 2

   The expressway that surrounds another city.

3. 3

   The US federal government and policy and lobbying organizations, located in Washington,…

   The US federal government and policy and lobbying organizations, located in Washington, D.C., sometimes with a suggestion of their elitism or insularity

   • But given that it takes 60 votes to beat a filibuster and 66 to override a veto, and given that the GOP has since added four hard-right senators to its total, it’s safe to say that nothing will be happening inside the Beltway anytime soon.
4. ›+ 2 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      Of or relating to the culture of Washington, D.C., sometimes with a suggestion of its…

      Of or relating to the culture of Washington, D.C., sometimes with a suggestion of its elitism or insularity; politicized.

      • Apparently wishing to go Beltway in a big way, the Gap reportedly solicited Clinton spokesman George Stephanopoulos and media adviser Mandy Grunwald to pose for ads, but were turned down.
      • In a typical indictment, one columnist recently called some piece of Washington policymaking "too secret, too expert, too Beltway."
      • 2002 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/lemann.html Your New Yorker article posed the question, "Can the president's education crusade survive Beltway politics?"
   2. 5

      A freeway that encircles a city.

The neighborhood