Dust Bowl
noun
the region in the S central U.S. that suffered from dust storms in the 1930s.
(lowercase)
any similar dry region elsewhere.
Origin of Dust Bowl
An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
British Dictionary definitions for dust bowl (1 of 2)
Dust Bowl
noun
the Dust Bowl
the area of the south central US that became denuded of topsoil by wind erosion during the droughts of the mid-1930s
British Dictionary definitions for dust bowl (2 of 2)
dust bowl
noun
a semiarid area in which the surface soil is exposed to wind erosion and dust storms occur
Cultural definitions for dust bowl
Dust Bowl
A parched region of the Great Plains, including parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas, where a combination of drought and soil erosion created enormous dust storms in the 1930s. The novel The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, describes the plight of the “Okies” and “Arkies” uprooted by the drought and forced to migrate to California.