unbelted
Americanadjective
Explanation
If you're unbelted, you're not strapped securely in your seat. Don't even pull the car out of the driveway if any of your passengers are unbelted! The adjective unbelted means "without a belt" or "with an unbuckled belt." So if you haven't clicked your seatbelt yet, you're unbelted, and if your pants are falling down, it may be because you're unbelted. This word is formed by adding the prefix un-, "not," to belted, "secured by a strip of material around the waist."
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.
The analysis excluded crashes in which the person was unbelted or ejected, and also crashes in which the car rolled over or caught fire.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025
This simulation shows what happens to an unbelted rear seat passenger in case of a collision.
From BBC • Sep. 7, 2022
Last year, over half of all crash fatalities involved unbelted drivers or occupants, the highest level since 2012, according to NHTSA.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 16, 2021
There is no data on injuries and deaths among unbelted passengers in hired cars, but in 2015, three high-profile deaths made the issue more prominent.
From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2018
She was wild-haired as ever—or even more so, from her recent exertions—and had put on a slip with a robe, unbelted, its ties flittering behind her like silky kitten tails.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
