fan belt

American

noun

(in automotive vehicles) a belt, driven by the crankshaft of an engine, that turns a fan for drawing cooling air through the radiator.

fan belt British

noun

any belt that drives a fan, esp the belt that drives a cooling fan together with a dynamo or alternator in a car engine

"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

Etymology

Origin of fan belt

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

Inside, investigators discovered a fan belt hanging from the ceiling.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

He’s careful and wise, the kind of guy you’d want assessing what’s wrong with your fan belt, your nuclear reactor, or your representative democracy.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2020

The Cardinals tend not to don jewelry that resembles a bronzed fan belt, a superficial statement about their approach.

From Washington Post • Oct. 10, 2015

She knew that no one would be coming to help her and a game scout replace their truck's broken fan belt.

From National Geographic • Aug. 8, 2015

The deputy sheriff, Meliton Naranjo, had lost a finger when, as he was fussing with a fan belt in a truck, his kid had climbed behind the wheel and turned the motor over.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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