belt Hear it!

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belt definition

belt (belt)

noun

  1. a strip or band of leather or other material worn around the waist to hold clothing up, support tools, etc., or as an ornament or sign of rank
  2. any encircling thing like this
  3. a long, flexible band used to feed bullets into a machine gun
  4. an endless strap or band for transferring motion from one wheel or pulley to another, or for conveying things
  5. a region distinguished from others in some way the Corn Belt
  6. Informal a hard blow; cuff
  7. Slang
    1. a drink or big gulp, esp. of liquor
    2. pleasurable excitement; thrill

Etymology: OE, akin to OHG balz, ult. < L balteus < ? Etr

transitive verb

  1. to encircle with or as with a belt; girdle
  2. to fasten or attach with or as with a belt
  3. to strike with a belt
  4. ☆ Informal to sing loudly and lustily with a driving rhythm: usually with out
  5. Informal to strike with force
  6. ☆ Slang
    1. to take one or more drinks of (liquor): often with down
    2. to drink heavily

intransitive verb

Informal to move at high speed
belt Idioms

below the belt

unfair(ly); foul: orig. said of a blow to the groin in boxing

tighten one's belt

  1. to endure hunger, privation, etc. as best one can
  2. to live more thriftily

under one's belt

☆
Informal as part of one's experience ten years of service under his belt

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms belt idiom

belt Synonyms

belt

n.

  1. A long flexible strip

    sash, cummerbund, obi, cincture, girdle; see also band 1.

  2. A distinctly defined area

    tract, region, zone; see area 2.

below the belt

unfair, unsporting, foul, unjust; see unfair.

tighten one's belt

endure hunger, endure privation, be more frugal, retrench, cut back; see also economize, endure 2.

under one's belt*

past, achieved, completed; see done 1, finished 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

belt Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • wear: Many were using mobile phones, not wearing seat belts, or speeding.

Preposition: in

  • karate: John Meaney has a degree in Physics and Computer Science, plus a black belt in shotokan karate.

Adjective modifier

  • diagonal: The third attachment point takes a single diagonal fixed belt or inertia reel extension but not a harness with straps over both shoulders.

Modifies a noun

  • buckle: A very sweet English antique belt buckle, dating to circa 1920.

Noun used with modifier

  • conveyor: Showing asbestos from a conveyor belt being loaded into sacks.
belt usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

belt quotes

David Lloyd George could not see a belt without hitting underneath it.

-Asquith, Margot

belt quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"belt." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/belt>

APA Style

belt. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/belt

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