belt

American  

[belt] / bɛlt /

noun

• belts
  plural

1. a band of flexible material, as leather or cord, for encircling the waist.

2. any encircling or transverse band, strip, or stripe.

3. an elongated region having distinctive properties or characteristics.

   a belt of cotton plantations.

4. Machinery. an endless flexible band passing about two or more pulleys, used to transmit motion from one pulley to the other or others or to convey materials and objects.

5. Military.

   1. a cloth strip with loops or a series of metal links with grips, for holding cartridges fed into an automatic gun.

   2. a band of leather or webbing, worn around the waist and used as a support for weapons, ammunition, etc.

6. a series of armor plates forming part of the hull of a warship.

7. a broad, flexible strip of rubber, canvas, wood, etc., moved along the surface of a fresh concrete pavement to put a finish on it after it has been floated.

8. a road, railroad, or the like, encircling an urban center to handle peripheral traffic.

9. Slang. a hard blow or hit.

10. Slang. a shot of liquor, especially as swallowed in one gulp.

11. Automotive. a strip of material used in a type of motor-vehicle tire belted tire, where it is placed between the carcass and the tread for reinforcement.

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verb (used with object)

• belts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• belted,
  past participle,  past
• belting
  present participle

1. to gird or furnish with a belt.

   Synonyms:

   encircle, girdle

2. to surround or mark as if with a belt or band.

   Garbage cans were belted with orange paint.

3. to fasten on (a sword, gun, etc.) by means of a belt.

4. to beat with or as if with a belt, strap, etc.

   Synonyms:

   lash, flog

5. Slang. to hit very hard, far, etc..

   You were lucky he didn't belt you in the mouth when you said that. He belted a triple to right field.

6. Informal. to sing (a song) loudly and energetically (sometimes followed byout ).

   She can belt out a number with the best of them.

7. Slang. to drink (a shot of liquor) quickly, especially in one gulp (sometimes followed bydown ).

   He belted a few and went back out into the cold.

idioms

1. under one's belt,

   1. in one's stomach, as food or drink.

      With a few Scotches under his belt, he's everyone's friend.

   2. considered as a matter of successful past experience.

      I don't think our lawyer has enough similar cases under his belt.

2. below the belt, not in accord with the principles of fairness, decency, or good sportsmanship.

   criticism that hit below the belt.

3. tighten one's belt,

   1. to undergo hardship patiently.

   2. to curtail one's expenditures; be more frugal.

      They were urged to tighten their belts for the war effort.

belt British  

/ bɛlt /

noun

1. a band of cloth, leather, etc, worn, usually around the waist, to support clothing, carry tools, weapons, or ammunition, or as decoration

2. a narrow band, circle, or stripe, as of colour

3. an area, esp an elongated one, where a specific thing or specific conditions are found; zone

   the town belt

   a belt of high pressure

4. a belt worn as a symbol of rank (as by a knight or an earl), or awarded as a prize (as in boxing or wrestling), or to mark particular expertise (as in judo or karate)

5. See seat belt

6. a band of flexible material between rotating shafts or pulleys to transfer motion or transmit goods

   a fan belt

   a conveyer belt

7. a beltcourse See cordon

8. informal a sharp blow, as with a bat or the fist

9. 1. boxing below the waist, esp in the groin

   2. informal in an unscrupulous or cowardly way

10. to take measures to reduce expenditure

11. 1. (of food or drink) in one's stomach

    2. in one's possession

    3. as part of one's experience

       he had a linguistics degree under his belt

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verb

1. (tr) to fasten or attach with or as if with a belt

2. (tr) to hit with a belt

3. slang (tr) to give a sharp blow; punch

4. slang to move very fast, esp in a car

   belting down the motorway

5. rare (tr) to mark with belts, as of colour

6. rare (tr) to encircle; surround

belt Scientific  

/ bĕlt /

1. A geographic region that is distinctive in a specific respect.

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belt More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing belt

• below the belt
• bible belt
• sun belt
• tighten one's belt
• under one's belt

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Usage

What is a basic definition of belt? A belt is a band of fabric worn around the waist. It is also a long, thin region with distinctive properties, as in a belt of corn fields in a larger farming region. The word belt is also used informally as a verb to mean to sing loudly or to hit something very hard. Belt has several other senses as a noun and a verb. The word belt most often refers to a band of flexible fabric, like leather, worn around the waist to keep your pants from falling down. Other types of bands worn around the waist include tool belts and championship belts. Real-life examples: Most clothing stores sell leather belts. A seat belt is worn around the waist while riding in a vehicle to keep you in the seat in case of an emergency. Martial arts groups use colored belts to indicate a person’s mastery level. Used in a sentence: Batman keeps all of his gadgets in his utility belt. Similar to the band around your waist, a belt can be a long, thin area with something distinctive about it. Real-life examples: In the United States, the Bible Belt is an area of the Midwest and South where strong Christian beliefs are very common. The U. S.’s Corn Belt is an area of the Midwest that grows a lot of corn. Used in a sentence: In history class, we studied the old industries of the Rust Belt in the northeastern U. S. Belt is also used informally to mean to sing loudly. When used in this sense, belt is often followed with the word out. Used in a sentence: The rock star belted out all of her greatest hits at the concert.  A slang use of belt means to hit or strike something really hard. Used in a sentence: The boxer belted his opponent in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Synonym Usage

Belt and zone agree in their original meaning of a girdle or band. Belt is more used in popular or journalistic writing: the corn or wheat belt. Zone tends to be used in technical language: the Torrid Zone; a parcel-post zone.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• belted
  noun
• beltless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• belts
  plural

Participles

• belting
  present
• belted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• belt
  simple
• belts
  simple
• have belted
  perfect
• has belted
  perfect
• am belting
  progressive
• are belting
  progressive
• is belting
  progressive
• have been belting
  perfect progressive
• has been belting
  perfect progressive

Past

• belted
  simple
• had belted
  perfect
• was belting
  progressive
• were belting
  progressive
• had been belting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will belt
  simple
• will have belted
  perfect
• will be belting
  progressive
• will have been belting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of belt

before 1000; Middle English; Old English; compare Old High German balz; both < Latin balteus; see balteus

Explanation

A belt is an accessory you wear around your waist that helps hold your pants up. Other types of belts can hold tools or weapons. Most belts are made of leather and buckle at the front of the waist. Tool belts have loops for keeping hammers and screwdrivers handy, and a seat belt fastens across your waist and shoulders to keep you safe in a moving car. If you belt someone, it takes on a different meaning: to hit hard. The Latin root is balteus, "girdle or sword belt," and the original definition of the verb was "to hit with a belt."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

belt belts belted belting

Chorley fighter Catterall holds the WBA 'Regular' belt, which makes him next in line to fight Lopez unless the WBA decides to overlook him in favour of a unification bout.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

They can provide a sense of safety in emergencies, such as an accident, when you may have to cut a seat belt or break a window to escape.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Many foreign customers, including from the United States, "often come to our company for research", she told AFP as robotic arms pushed packages along a conveyor belt in the booth behind her.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

With these gains under his belt, Kim has so far spurned all of Trump’s diplomatic overtures since the president returned to the White House.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

I said, looking down at the set I still had attached to my belt.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Amanda Serrano retained her WBA and WBO featherweight belts with a narrow majority decision over Argentina's Lucrecia Manzur in the first world title fight to be streamed live on TikTok.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Maybe the only way to justify a magnetic attraction to wanting my bags, shoes and belts to be studded, spiky, pierced and heavy is by connecting the dots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

"Instead of two litres of oil, I buy one litre and make it last... We're tightening our belts," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Kabayel and Gassiev became world champions after Usyk vacated his belts, while Dubois claimed the title by beating Fabio Wardley in May.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

They came around a curve in the mountain road, and Daniel hit the brakes, throwing them all against their seat belts.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

But for now, the most viable method to avoid infection is to wear a long-sleeved shirt tucked into belted pants, and socks—even better if the clothing is permethrin-treated.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

As the U.S. geared up to take on Paraguay and Australia, packed stadiums proudly belted our national anthem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Earlier in the day, Irish singer Dermot Kennedy belted out a host of crowd-pleasers when he took to the main stage, with US singer Kehlani later bringing the heat.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

During the press tour’s kickoff in Mexico City, Streep — styled by Micaela Erlanger — donned a long, belted navy blue Schiaparelli dress.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

Bran was so heavily padded he looked as though he had belted on a featherbed, and Prince Tominen, who was plump to begin with, seemed positively round.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Speakers take turns addressing crowds while also belting out protest songs and poems.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

She’s not a diva belting out choruses and taking up space—instead, she sometimes seems like a master of ceremonies, someone hosting the party rather than hogging the spotlight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

“If walls could sing, this charming three-story mountain retreat would be belting out a country classic,” the description continues, noting that “nearly everything inside remains just as Dolly left it.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

Trump stepped on to a red carpet at the Great Hall of the People to hundreds of flag-waving children and a military band belting out the Star-Spangled Banner.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

He pulled the furry hide up to his chin and turned to lie on his back, belting out a yawn for the ages.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

Related Words

• bash
• bat
• clobber
• slam
• slug
• smack
• smash
• sock
• wallop
• whip