belt
♦ belt /b'elt/ (belts belting belted)
1 [N-COUNT]
A belt is a strip of leather or cloth that you fasten round your waist.
He wore a belt with a large brass buckle.
see also safety belt, seat belt
2 [N-COUNT]
A belt in a machine is a circular strip of rubber that is used to drive moving parts or to move objects along.
The turning disc is connected by a drive belt to an electric motor.
see also conveyor belt, fan belt
3 [N-COUNT] with supp
A belt of land or sea is a long, narrow area of it that has some special feature.
Miners in Zambia's northern copper belt have gone on strike...
see also Bible Belt, commuter belt,
= strip
4 [VERB] V n
If someone belts you, they hit you very hard. (INFORMAL)
`Is it right she belted old George in the gut?' she asked.
= thump
[N-COUNT]
Belt is also a noun.
Father would give you a belt over the head with the scrubbing brush.
5 [VERB] V prep/adv
If you belt somewhere, you move or travel there very fast. (INFORMAL)
We belted down Iveagh Parade to where the motor was.
= dash
6
see also belted
7 [PHRASE]
Something that is below the belt is cruel and unfair.
Do you think it's a bit below the belt what they're doing?
...this kind of below-the-belt discrimination.
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you have to tighten your belt, you have to spend less money and manage without things because you have less money than you used to have.
Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt.
9 [PHRASE] have/with n PHR
If you have something under your belt, you have already achieved it or done it.
Clare is now a full-time author with six books, including four novels, under her belt.belt out
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n, also V n P
If you belt out a song, you sing or play it very loudly. (INFORMAL)
He held a three-hour family Karaoke session in his hotel, belting out Sinatra and Beatles hits.black belt (black belts)
1 [N-COUNT]
A black belt is worn by someone who has reached a very high standard in a sport such as judo or karate.
He holds a black belt in karate.
2 [N-COUNT]
You can refer to someone who has a black belt in judo or karate as a black belt.
Murray is a judo black belt.com|mut|er belt (commuter belts)
[N-COUNT]
A commuter belt is the area surrounding a large city, where many people who work in the city live.
...people who live in the commuter belt around the capital.con|vey|or belt /kənv'eɪər belt/ (conveyor belts)
1 [N-COUNT]
A conveyor belt or a conveyor is a continuously moving strip of rubber or metal which is used in factories for moving objects along so that they can be dealt with as quickly as possible.
The damp bricks went along a conveyor belt into another shed to dry.
2 [N-COUNT]
If you describe a situation as a conveyor belt, you dislike it because it produces things or people which are all the same or always deals with things or people in the same way.fan belt (fan belts)
[N-COUNT]
In a car engine, the fan belt is the belt that drives the fan which keeps the engine cool.gar|ter belt (garter belts)
[N-COUNT]
A garter belt is a piece of underwear for women that is used for holding up stockings. (AM; in BRIT, use suspender belt)green belt (green belts)
[N-COUNT]
A green belt is an area of land with fields or parks around a town or city, where people are not allowed to build houses or factories by law.safe|ty belt (safety belts)
also safety-belt
[N-COUNT]
A safety belt is a strap attached to a seat in a car or aeroplane. You fasten it round your body and it stops you being thrown forward if there is an accident.
= seat beltseat belt (seat belts)
also seatbelt
[N-COUNT]
A seat belt is a strap attached to a seat in a car or an aircraft. You fasten it across your body in order to prevent yourself being thrown out of the seat if there is a sudden movement.
The fact I was wearing a seat belt saved my life.
= safety beltstock|broker belt (stockbroker belts)
[N-COUNT] usu the N
The stockbroker belt is an area outside a city, especially London, where rich people who travel to work in the city live. (BRIT)
He grew up in the comfort of the Surrey stockbroker belt.sus|pend|er belt (suspender belts)
[N-COUNT]
A suspender belt is a piece of underwear for women that is used for holding up stockings. (BRIT; in AM, use garter belt)
1 [N-COUNT]
A belt is a strip of leather or cloth that you fasten round your waist.
He wore a belt with a large brass buckle.
see also safety belt, seat belt
2 [N-COUNT]
A belt in a machine is a circular strip of rubber that is used to drive moving parts or to move objects along.
The turning disc is connected by a drive belt to an electric motor.
see also conveyor belt, fan belt
3 [N-COUNT] with supp
A belt of land or sea is a long, narrow area of it that has some special feature.
Miners in Zambia's northern copper belt have gone on strike...
see also Bible Belt, commuter belt,
= strip
4 [VERB] V n
If someone belts you, they hit you very hard. (INFORMAL)
`Is it right she belted old George in the gut?' she asked.
= thump
[N-COUNT]
Belt is also a noun.
Father would give you a belt over the head with the scrubbing brush.
5 [VERB] V prep/adv
If you belt somewhere, you move or travel there very fast. (INFORMAL)
We belted down Iveagh Parade to where the motor was.
= dash
6
see also belted
7 [PHRASE]
Something that is below the belt is cruel and unfair.
Do you think it's a bit below the belt what they're doing?
...this kind of below-the-belt discrimination.
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you have to tighten your belt, you have to spend less money and manage without things because you have less money than you used to have.
Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt.
9 [PHRASE] have/with n PHR
If you have something under your belt, you have already achieved it or done it.
Clare is now a full-time author with six books, including four novels, under her belt.belt out
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n, also V n P
If you belt out a song, you sing or play it very loudly. (INFORMAL)
He held a three-hour family Karaoke session in his hotel, belting out Sinatra and Beatles hits.black belt (black belts)
1 [N-COUNT]
A black belt is worn by someone who has reached a very high standard in a sport such as judo or karate.
He holds a black belt in karate.
2 [N-COUNT]
You can refer to someone who has a black belt in judo or karate as a black belt.
Murray is a judo black belt.com|mut|er belt (commuter belts)
[N-COUNT]
A commuter belt is the area surrounding a large city, where many people who work in the city live.
...people who live in the commuter belt around the capital.con|vey|or belt /kənv'eɪər belt/ (conveyor belts)
1 [N-COUNT]
A conveyor belt or a conveyor is a continuously moving strip of rubber or metal which is used in factories for moving objects along so that they can be dealt with as quickly as possible.
The damp bricks went along a conveyor belt into another shed to dry.
2 [N-COUNT]
If you describe a situation as a conveyor belt, you dislike it because it produces things or people which are all the same or always deals with things or people in the same way.fan belt (fan belts)
[N-COUNT]
In a car engine, the fan belt is the belt that drives the fan which keeps the engine cool.gar|ter belt (garter belts)
[N-COUNT]
A garter belt is a piece of underwear for women that is used for holding up stockings. (AM; in BRIT, use suspender belt)green belt (green belts)
[N-COUNT]
A green belt is an area of land with fields or parks around a town or city, where people are not allowed to build houses or factories by law.safe|ty belt (safety belts)
also safety-belt
[N-COUNT]
A safety belt is a strap attached to a seat in a car or aeroplane. You fasten it round your body and it stops you being thrown forward if there is an accident.
= seat beltseat belt (seat belts)
also seatbelt
[N-COUNT]
A seat belt is a strap attached to a seat in a car or an aircraft. You fasten it across your body in order to prevent yourself being thrown out of the seat if there is a sudden movement.
The fact I was wearing a seat belt saved my life.
= safety beltstock|broker belt (stockbroker belts)
[N-COUNT] usu the N
The stockbroker belt is an area outside a city, especially London, where rich people who travel to work in the city live. (BRIT)
He grew up in the comfort of the Surrey stockbroker belt.sus|pend|er belt (suspender belts)
[N-COUNT]
A suspender belt is a piece of underwear for women that is used for holding up stockings. (BRIT; in AM, use garter belt)