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

“Just every department: boots, hats, belt, buckles, T-shirts, Western shirts,” store co-owner Julie Newport told The Times of Haaland’s purchases.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

"The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt."

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

COGE’s tightening of New York City’s belt could instill similar discontent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Dickman took the man’s belt and tied it around the wound.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

Nighthand put his hand to the glamry blade at his belt and stepped in front of Mal.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

A major shift could tug at the West African monsoon, tropical rainfall belts and rainfall over the Amazon.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The increased speeds of conveyor belts in meatpacking plants, Mr. Smil notes, make those jobs among the most perilous in existence as measured by worker injuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Usyk vacating his belts blows the heavyweight division wide open.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

He’s long advocated for lap belts or safety harnesses on theme park rides.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

I dashed over to the far wall and collected the cuffs and belts.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

As the small pocket of outnumbered England fans belted pop hits of the 1990s into the hazy night, it was easy to forget that this was just the round of 16.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

And that was the tune belted out from the west section of the national stadium as the City players lifted the trophy amid the pyrotechnics, and fans rejoiced by serenading Semenyo.

From BBC ● May 16, 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

That was the line belted out by the commentator as Joel Fearon stunned onlookers by running the 100m in under 10 seconds - breaking one of the most revered barriers in sport.

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026

And she’s wearing a dress—short-sleeved and belted, over tights and ankle boots.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

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

Reiss' side were creating the better chances and Heskey gave a warning sign when he struck into the side-netting, before belting home the winning goal which he will remember for the rest of his career.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

An activity that instantly makes me feel like a kid again is singing — OK, more like belting — my favorite song into a microphone while surrounded by loved ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

However, keep in mind that a child’s vocal apparatus is still developing, and imitating adult singing with scoops, chest voice, or belting is affected singing and not natural.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

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