conveyor belt

American

noun

Machinery.

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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

conveyor belts

plural

Etymology

Origin of conveyor belt

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

“Until you have stronger economic growth and are less constrained by debt, it’s highly likely the conveyor belt of PMs will continue.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026

Like Rangnick, Kleitsch had been an instrumental figure in the shift to zonal marking, and he was also credited with making Stuttgart into a conveyor belt of world-class youth talent.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

For instance, one peak summer afternoon, with every conveyor belt, boarding gate and baggage sorter running at full blast, can set the airport’s electricity rate for the entire month.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

A conveyor belt brings George from bed to the bathroom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Irene lays her gloved hand on the side of the bin to prevent its slide out of her life and onto the conveyor belt.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023