lower 48

or Low·er 48

[ loh-er fawr-tee-eyt ]

noun

, Informal.

1. the conterminous United States.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lower 48¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

After all, Minnesota is the northernmost of the Lower 48 states.

From Slate

The federal government owns less than 5% of the land east of the Mississippi River, but nearly half of the acreage in 11 Western states in the Lower 48, controlled mostly by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service.

From Los Angeles Times

That would encourage the reproduction of local bull trout, which are a threatened species in the Lower 48 states.

From Seattle Times

And this has happened after just 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit of warming in the Lower 48 since 1970, by Climate Central’s measure.

From Seattle Times

Wolverines are exceedingly rare in the lower 48 states and the population in the contiguous U.S. — roughly just 25 to 300 — received federal protection under the federal Endangered Species Act last year.

From Los Angeles Times