heartland

noun

heart·​land ˈhärt-ˌland 

: a central area: such as

a

: a central land area (such as northern Eurasia) having strategic advantages

b

: the central geographical region of the U.S. in which mainstream or traditional values predominate

c

: a region where something (such as an industry or activity) most strongly thrives

the heartland of high technology

Examples of heartland in a Sentence

We drove into Scotland's heartland.

a politician who is popular in the American heartland

the heartland of high technology

Recent Examples on the Web

The prefecture is known as Japan's rice country, home to the nation's largest rice harvest and its sake heartland. —Iona Brannon, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2026

Artists took imagery and iconography from Regionalism—think Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton—which leaned toward heartland nativism. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

The report estimates about 200,000 people were displaced in the violence in Sweida, the heartland of Syria's Druze community. —ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026

On Thursday night, three teams from the heartland, all hailing from the Big Ten Conference, dominated the proceedings. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heartland

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

heartland

noun

heart·​land ˈhärt-ˌland 

: a central land area

especially : one of great economic and military importance