belt out
Britishverb
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Knock unconscious; beat up, trounce; murder. For example, The police officer was accused of belting out the teenager before taking him to the station , or The hold-up man belted out the storekeeper and fled with the money . This expression originated in boxing. [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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Sing or play music very loudly, as in She belted out the national anthem before every game . [ Colloquial ; c. 1950]
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.
We’ve seen animated animals belt out tunes in the “Sing” movies.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026
It seems unlikely anyone will leave the theater ready to belt out one of these songs, but then that’s what “Wicked” is for.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
Kids belt out a mix of Broadway tunes, viral YouTube hit "The Duck Song" and the inescapable soundtrack from the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters."
From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025
"Long before West Ham picked it up and made it their own, we used to belt out 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'," he said.
From BBC • May 11, 2025
I take the belt out for an easy three-mile run on Friday morning, and then Friday afternoon, it’s haircut time.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
