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

Ross’ music eschews the cathartic function of a lot of classic heartland rock, maybe because his lyric-writing is fairly literary and terse. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2026

Parton endeared herself to the red and the blue, the heartland and the coasts, even as the monoculture splintered and political polarization turned friends into strangers. — Josh Feldman, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026

South Africa is the continent’s largest polluter, relying on coal for about 80% of its power and leaving its industrial heartland exposed to international climate pressure. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 24 Aug. 2026

The Moon’s shadow crisscrossed the American heartland twice in less than seven years, first in 2017 and again in 2024. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 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