conveyor belt

American  

noun

Machinery.

1. an endless belt or chain, set of rollers, etc., for carrying materials or objects short distances, as from one part of a building to another.

---

conveyor belt British  

noun

1. a flexible endless strip of fabric or linked plates driven by rollers and used to transport objects, esp in a factory

---

Etymology

Origin of conveyor belt

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

As trash flushes down the river — from Westside communities like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Venice — it’s captured by a conveyor belt on the vessel.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

As it sinks, it pulls heat, carbon and nutrients downward, helping drive a global system of currents sometimes described as a conveyor belt.

From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2026

A conveyor belt brings George from bed to the bathroom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Hundreds of discarded batteries rattle along a conveyor belt into a crusher in a remote plant in northern India, fuelling a multi-billion-dollar industry that is bolstering the country's geopolitical ambitions.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

I clean the black oil that crust on the conveyor belt and rollers and teeth.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple