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belt

/bɛlt/

/bɛlt/

Other forms: belts; belted; belting

A belt is an accessory you wear around your waist that helps hold your pants up. Other types of belts can hold tools or weapons.

Most belts are made of leather and buckle at the front of the waist. Tool belts have loops for keeping hammers and screwdrivers handy, and a seat belt fastens across your waist and shoulders to keep you safe in a moving car. If you belt someone, it takes on a different meaning: to hit hard. The Latin root is balteus, "girdle or sword belt," and the original definition of the verb was "to hit with a belt."

Definitions of belt
  1. noun
    a band to tie or buckle around the body (usually at the waist)
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    types:
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    baldric, baldrick
    a wide (ornamented) belt worn over the right shoulder to support a sword or bugle by the left hip
    cartridge belt
    a broad belt with loops or pockets for holding ammunition
    holster
    a belt with loops or slots for carrying small hand tools
    money belt
    belt with a concealed section for holding money
    life belt, safety belt, safety harness
    belt attaching you to some object as a restraint in order to prevent you from getting hurt
    Sam Browne belt
    leather belt supported by a strap over the right shoulder
    bandoleer, bandolier
    a broad cartridge belt worn over the shoulder by soldiers
    seat belt, seatbelt
    a safety belt used in a car or plane to hold you in your seat in case of an accident
    type of:
    accessory, accouterment, accoutrement
    clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of your main clothing
  2. noun
    endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
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    types:
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    band
    a driving belt in machinery
    conveyer, conveyer belt, conveyor, conveyor belt, transporter
    a moving belt that transports objects (as in a factory)
    driving belt
    a belt that carries motion from a motor to the machinery
    fan belt
    a belt driven by the crankshaft that drives a fan that pulls air through the radiator
    caterpillar track, caterpillar tread, track
    an endless metal belt on which tracked vehicles move over the ground
    carousel, carrousel, luggage carousel, luggage carrousel
    a conveyer belt that carries luggage to be claimed by air travelers
    half track
    a track that goes around only rear wheels
    type of:
    loop
    anything with a round or oval shape (formed by a curve that is closed and does not intersect itself)
  3. noun
    ammunition (usually of small caliber) loaded in flexible linked strips for use in a machine gun
    synonyms: belt ammunition, belted ammunition
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    type of:
    ammo, ammunition
    projectiles to be fired from a gun
  4. verb
    fasten with a belt
    belt your trousers”
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    Antonyms:
    unbelt
    undo the belt of
    type of:
    fasten, fix, secure
    cause to be firmly attached
  5. noun
    an elongated region where a specific condition or characteristic is found
    “a belt of high pressure”
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    examples:
    Bible Belt
    southern and midwestern United States where Protestant fundamentalism is dominant
    Corn Belt
    the midwestern states where corn is grown; Iowa and Illinois are excellent for raising corn and corn-fed livestock
    Van Allen belt
    a belt of charged particles (resulting from cosmic rays) above the Earth trapped by the Earth's magnetic field
    types:
    asteroid belt
    the region of interplanetary space between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids are found
    greenbelt, greenway
    a belt of parks or rural land surrounding a town or city
    type of:
    part, region
    the extended spatial location of something
  6. noun
    a path or strip (as cut by one course of mowing)
    synonyms: swath
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    type of:
    course, path, track
    a line or route along which something travels or moves
  7. noun
    the act of hitting vigorously
    synonyms: knock, rap, whack, whang
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    type of:
    blow, buffet
    a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
  8. noun
    a vigorous blow
    synonyms: bang, bash, knock, smash
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    type of:
    blow, bump
    an impact (as from a collision)
  9. verb
    deliver a blow to
    “He belted his opponent”
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    type of:
    hit
    deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument
  10. verb
    sing loudly and forcefully
    synonyms: belt out
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    type of:
    sing
    produce tones with the voice
Pronunciation
US

/bɛlt/

UK

/bɛlt/

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