What does "belt" mean?
A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.
Belt
/bɛlt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.
- Grammar: belt is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adhesive tape, air space, airspace, anklet.
- Useful contrasts: châtelaines, gentle touch, loosen.
- Usage evidence: Please make certain your seat belt is fastened.
How to use "belt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "belt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "belt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "belt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "belt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "belt" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adhesive tape" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "belt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.
"As part of the act, the fat clown's belt broke, causing his pants to fall down."
- 2 the act of hitting vigorously wordnet
- 3 A band used as a restraint for safety purposes, such as a seat belt.
"Keep your belt fastened; this is going to be quite a bumpy ride."
- 4 a band to tie or buckle around the body (usually at the waist) wordnet
- 5 A band that is used in a machine to help transfer motion or power.
"The motor had a single belt that snaked its way back and forth around a variety of wheels."
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys wordnet
- 7 Anything that resembles a belt, or that encircles or crosses like a belt; a strip or stripe.
"a belt of trees; a belt of sand"
- 8 ammunition (usually of small caliber) loaded in flexible linked strips for use in a machine gun wordnet
- 9 A trophy in the shape of a belt, generally awarded for martial arts.
"the heavyweight belt"
- 10 a vigorous blow wordnet
- 11 A collection of small bodies (such as asteroids) which orbit a star.
- 12 an elongated region where a specific condition or characteristic is found wordnet
- 13 One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds.
- 14 a path or strip (as cut by one course of mowing) wordnet
- 15 A band of armor along the sides of a warship, protecting the ship's vital spaces.
"The battleship was protected by a twelve-inch belt just above the waterline."
- 16 A powerful blow, often made with a fist or heavy object.
"After the bouncer gave him a solid belt to the gut, Simon had suddenly had enough of bar fights."
- 17 A quick drink of liquor.
"Care to join me in a belt of scotch?"
- 18 A geographical region known for a particular product, feature or demographic (Corn Belt, Bible Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt). capitalized, usually
- 19 The part of the strike zone at the height of the batter's waist.
"That umpire called that pitch a strike at the belt."
- 20 A device that holds and feeds cartridges into a belt-fed weapon.
- 21 A vocal tone produced by singing with chest voice above the break (or passaggio), in a range typically sung in head voice.
"Both auditionees had great ranges but Diamond had the strong belt we really need for the finale."
- 22 A mostly-continuous, often curvilinear structure expressed on the surface or in the subsurface of a terrestrial planet or other solid planemo, such as a mountain belt, a fold and thrust belt, or an ore belt.
"This belt of deformed platform sediments parallels the suture running east-to-west across the north of the region, which was left when the ocean basin that originally separated the two ancient continents on either side of it was consumed by subduction."
Verb
- 1 To encircle. transitive
"The small town was belted by cornfields in all directions."
- 2 fasten with a belt wordnet
- 3 To fasten a belt on. transitive
"Edgar belted himself in and turned the car's ignition."
- 4 deliver a blow to wordnet
- 5 To invest (a person) with a belt as part of a formal ceremony such as knighthood. transitive
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 sing loudly and forcefully wordnet
- 7 To hit with a belt. transitive
"The child was misbehaving so he was belted as punishment."
- 8 To scream or sing in a loud, strong manner. informal, transitive
"He belted out the national anthem."
- 9 To drink quickly, often in gulps. transitive
"He belted down a shot of whisky."
- 10 To hit someone or something. colloquial, transitive
"The angry player belted the official across the face, and as a result was ejected from the game."
- 11 To hit a pitched ball a long distance, usually for a home run. transitive
"He belted that pitch over the grandstand."
- 12 To move very fast. intransitive
"He was really belting along."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A town in Cascade County, Montana, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 Ellipsis of Main Asteroid Belt: a region of Solar System. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"Believe it or not, Belter slang — or, more officially, Belter Creole — isn't a completely made-up way of communicating. It's actually a mix of several Earth languages spoken by the original settlers in the Asteroid Belt colonies — very appropriate, as the Belt is a melting pot of several different races, customs and backgrounds."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Please make certain your seat belt is fastened."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "belt"?
Common synonyms include: adhesive tape, air space, airspace, anklet, appleton layer, area.
How do you use "belt" in a sentence?
Please make certain your seat belt is fastened.
How do you pronounce "belt"?
Pronounced /bɛlt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English belt, from Old English belt (“belt, girdle”), from Proto-West Germanic *baltī̆, from Proto-Germanic *baltijaz (“girdle, belt”), from Latin balteus (“belt, sword-belt”), of Etruscan origin. Cognate with Scots belt (“belt”), Dutch belt, German Balz (“belt”), Danish bælte (“belt”), Swedish bälte (“belt, cincture, girdle, zone”) and Icelandic belti (“belt”).
Etymology 2
* As an English and north/Low German surname, from the noun belt. * As a German surname, short form of the old Germanic name Baldher, composed of *balþ (“bold”) + *hari (“army”). Compare Belter. * Also as a north/Low German surname, from the place name Beelte, a small town in Giesen. * As a Dutch surname Van den Belt, from the noun belt (“low hill”).