belt
/ˈbɛlt/ noun, verb, proper noun
- noun (clothing) 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.”
- noun 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.”
- noun 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.”
- noun 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”
- noun A trophy in the shape of a belt, generally awarded for martial arts. “the heavyweight belt”
- noun (astronomy) A collection of small bodies (such as asteroids) which orbit a star.
- noun (astronomy) One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds.
- noun (military, nautical) 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.”
- verb (transitive) To fasten a belt on; to encircle with a belt. “Edgar belted himself in and turned the car's ignition.”
- verb (transitive) To encircle; to surround. “The small town was belted by cornfields in all directions.”
- verb (transitive) To invest (a person) with a belt as part of a formal ceremony such as knighthood.
- verb (transitive) To hit with a belt. “The child was misbehaving so he was belted as punishment.”
- verb (transitive, colloquial) To hit someone or something, especially forcefully; to bash. “The angry player belted the official across the face, and as a result was ejected from the game.”
- verb (transitive, baseball) To hit a pitched ball a long distance, usually for a home run. “He belted that pitch over the grandstand.”
- verb (transitive, informal, normally belt out) To scream or sing in a loud, strong manner. “He belted out the national anthem.”
- verb (transitive) To drink quickly, often in gulps. “He belted down a shot of whisky.”
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A town in Cascade County, Montana, United States.
Synonyms
girdle waistband sash strap blow punch sock wallop dram nip restraint safety belt seat belt buckle fasten circle surround whip bash clobber knock bang smash swath belt ammunition belted ammunition rap whack whang belt out
Antonyms
Etymology
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”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk belte (“belt”), Swedish bälte (“belt, cincture, girdle, zone”), Faroese and Icelandic belti (“belt”).
* 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”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun That which engirdles a person or thing; a band or girdle; as, a lady's belt; a sword belt.
- noun That which restrains or confines as a girdle.
- verb To encircle with, or as with, a belt; to encompass; to surround.
- verb To shear, as the buttocks and tails of sheep. [Prov. Eng.]
Etymology [AS. belt; akin to Icel. belti, Sw. bälte, Dan. bælte, OHG. balz, L. balteus, Ir. & Gael. balt bo 1. That which engirdles a person or thing; a band or girdle; as, a lady's belt; a sword belt. The shining belt with gold inlaid. Dryden. 2. That which restrains or confines as a girdle. He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule. Shak. 3. Anything that resembles a belt, or that encircles or crosses like a belt; a strip or stripe; as, a belt of trees; a belt of sand. 4. (Arch.) Defn: Same as Band, n., 2. A very broad band is more properly termed a belt. 5. (Astron.) Defn: One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds. 6. (Geog.) Defn: A narrow passage or strait; as, the Great Belt and the Lesser Belt, leading to the Baltic Sea. 7. (Her.) Defn: A token or badge of knightly rank. 8. (Mech.) Defn: A band of leather, or other flexible substance, passing around two wheels, and communicating motion from one to the other. Note: [See Illust. of Pulley.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “belt”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details