seat belt

American  

Or seatbelt

noun

1. a belt or strap in an automobile, airplane, etc., fastened around or sometimes diagonally across the midsection to keep the person safely secured, as during a sudden stop.

---

seat belt British  

noun

1. Also called: safety belt.  a belt or strap worn in a vehicle to restrain forward motion in the event of a collision

2. a similar belt or strap worn in an aircraft at takeoff and landing and in rough weather

---

Etymology

Origin of seat belt

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The chairs are often dozens of feet off the ground, so the experience of riding without the bar down can feel like flying through the air on a park bench — with no seat belt.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

Rivian is recalling 34,824 vehicles for a damaged seat belt pretensioner cable, representing a significant portion of its total sales.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

You are in the passenger seat with no seat belt, and the dashboard lights are blinking like they’re trying to tell you something in Morse code, which you never learned.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

But new laws and public information campaigns changed those norms, so that buckling your seat belt is now routine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 2, 2025

Ray doesn’t turn on the truck or put on his seat belt.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Related Words

• safety belt