welt
Americannoun
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a ridge or wale on the surface of the body, as from a blow of a stick or whip.
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a blow producing such a ridge or wale.
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Shoemaking.
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a strip, as of leather, set in between the outsole of a shoe and the edges of its insole and upper, through which these parts are joined by stitching or stapling.
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a strip, usually of leather, that ornaments a shoe.
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a strengthening or ornamental finish along a seam, the edge of a garment, etc.
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a seam in which one edge is cut close to the stitching line and covered by the other edge, which is stitched over it.
verb (used with object)
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to beat soundly, as with a stick or whip.
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to furnish or supply (a shoe or garment) with a welt or welts; sew a welt on to.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a raised or strengthened seam or edge, sewn in or on a knitted garment
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another word for weal 1
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(in shoemaking) a strip of leather, etc, put in between the outer sole and the inner sole and upper
verb
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to put a welt in (a garment, etc)
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to beat or flog soundly
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of welt
1375–1425; late Middle English welte, walt shoemaker's welt, Old English wælt (thigh) sinew
Explanation
If someone hits you hard with a thin stick, your skin might rise up in a welt. Ouch. A welt is a swollen bruise. The extra bit of stitching around the pocket of your jeans can also be called a welt, as can the stitching that holds your shoe to its sole. In these cases, as well as in the case of the mark on the skin, a welt is a rising where things meet — either where a blow meets the body or where two types of fabric meet each other.
Vocabulary lists containing welt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Donovan seemed to use downstairs as his target with Crocker bringing the uppercut into play but he would find himself with a huge welt under the left eye by the end of the fourth.
From BBC • Mar. 1, 2025
Among Germany’s other greatest portmanteau exports are weltschmerz, a combination of welt for “world” and schmerz for “pain,” meaning a “sensation of melancholy and world-weariness.”
From Slate • Feb. 25, 2025
There was also the time Clyde woke me up by nipping my chin hard enough to leave a welt because I had not served his breakfast quickly enough.
From Salon • Dec. 6, 2024
Concerned, she visits a doctor, and when the specialist pries the welt open, hundreds of small spiders crawl out.
From National Geographic • Jan. 12, 2024
“I got blistered,” I explained, a little self-conscious about the ugly welt.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
