belt
(belt )
Word forms: belts , belting , belted
1. countable noun A2
A belt is a strip of leather or cloth that you fasten round your waist.
He wore a belt with a large brass buckle.
Synonyms: waistband, band, strap, sash
2. See also safety belt, seat belt
3. countable noun
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.
Synonyms: conveyor belt, band, loop, fan belt
4. See also conveyor belt, fan belt
5. countable noun
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.
Behind him was a belt of trees, and behind the trees hills and fields.
6. See also Bible Belt, commuter belt, green belt
7. verb
If someone belts you, they hit you very hard. [informal]
'Is it right she belted old George in the gut?' she asked. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: strike, beat, punch, deck [slang]
Belt is also a noun.
Father would give you a belt over the head with the scrubbing brush.
8. verb
If you belt somewhere, you move or travel there very fast. [informal]
We belted down Iveagh Parade to where the motor was. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: rush, run, race, fly
9. countable noun [usually adjective NOUN]
If someone is or has a belt of a particular colour in judo or karate, they have reached the standard which that colour represents.
He is a black belt in karate.
10. See also belted
11. below the belt 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.
Synonyms: unfair, foul, crooked [informal], cowardly
12. to tighten your belt phrase
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.
13. under your belt phrase
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.
Phrasal verbs:
belt out
phrasal verb [Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
If you belt out a song, you sing or play it very loudly. [informal]
We shouldn't have opera singers belting out the national anthem before England matches. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
belt up
phrasal verb
If someone tells you to belt up, they are telling you in a very impolite way to stop talking. [British, informal]
Chambers waved his hand. 'Belt up!' he snapped. [VERB PARTICLE]
Image of belt
© Azonman, Shutterstock
Idioms:
tighten your belt
to spend less and live more carefully because you have less money than you had before
Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
have something under your belt
to have already achieved or done something
After a few years, I had enough recipes under my belt to put them into a book.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
a belt and braces approach [British]
a situation in which you do something extra in order to make sure that something is safe or works properly
He described airport security as a belt and braces approach, at huge cost to industry.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
below the belt
unfair or cruel
These kinds of blows below the belt are the surest way to destroy a friendship or love affair.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
belt buckle belt clip championship belt coastal belt conveyer belt equatorial belt fasten a belt leather belt narrow belt rubber belt skinny belt thick belt thin belt tie a belt tool belt utility belt waist belt wear a belt wide belt
There’s a belt buckle that holds a one-hitter.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
She also spoke about being haunted by the sound of his clinking belt buckle, after another later encounter.
Times, Sunday Times
When the belt buckle hit the floor, it reached the decibel danger level.
Times, Sunday Times
Maybe if he just undid his belt buckle he'd be all right.
The Sun
The inmates compete for the cheers, the money, the pain, and a belt buckle given to the best all-around cowboy.
Christianity Today
All shone through, which meant we could then evaluate their beam performance, build quality and availability of accessories, such as a pouch and belt clip.
Times, Sunday Times
Secure the cord in a metal belt clip, or with a slipknot.
Houston Chronicle
It featured a sturdy spring-steel belt clip and a small cutaway at the top to allow the antenna to protrude.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Personal stereos typically have a belt clip or a shoulder strap so a user can attach the device to a belt or wear it over his or her shoulder.
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They come with twin batteries, two chargers and belt clips.
Times, Sunday Times
At the age of 48 years and 110 days, it made him the oldest ever boxer to hold a world championship belt.
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The belt has three large gold plates and was the first championship belt to feature a name plate onto which the champion's name was etched.
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When he returned, he found that a car window was shattered and his $10,000 championship belt was stolen.
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I've got the real championship belt.
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The title became represented by a large trophy in the summer of 2005, before being changed to a traditional championship belt in the spring of 2006.
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These three seafaring related social groups are regionally distributed, with each group dominating a certain coastal belt.
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The coastal belt has a rather different landscape.
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A coastal belt about thirty meters above sea level surrounds the island.
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Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east.
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The entire coastal belt with its rich natural resources, wetlands, mangroves and river deltas, forms a lucrative fishing area.
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If you're seated in the circle you'll look down, aloof, on characters revolving like the conveyer belt at a sushi restaurant.
Times, Sunday Times
You stepped onto a conveyer belt when you went to school and you have never had the chance to get off.
Times, Sunday Times
Straight away you're surrounded by elves causing mischief by the luggage conveyer belt.
The Sun
A hundred coaches are lined up at the next stage of the conveyer belt.
Times, Sunday Times
They round the corner, tumbling onto another conveyer belt.
Globe and Mail
The two largest and most prominent belts, including the southern equatorial belt which recently faded dramatically before recovering, can be seen with the smallest of telescopes.
Times, Sunday Times
The two hemispheres are separated by an unpigmented equatorial belt.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The equatorial belt contracted after about 8 million years ago.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
As a result, he developed a buckle that used a roller to fasten a belt without puncturing it.
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Latches in seatbelts typically fasten the belt which constrains the occupant to the body of the car.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Those who find such sums morally offensive had better fasten their belts.
Times, Sunday Times
Please keep your seat belt fastened until the plane has come to a complete standstill.
Times, Sunday Times
Even those inside the industry concede that investors will have to keep their seat belts fastened.
Times, Sunday Times
Cinch it with the leather belt helpfully provided for a flattering silhouette.
Times, Sunday Times
The right accessories put a grown-up spin on things — a leather belt, boots and bag will elevate the look.
Times,Sunday Times
Adding a wide leather belt can be another way to dial things up.
Times,Sunday Times
It comes with a leather belt pouch and lifetime warranty.
Times, Sunday Times
The shroud pins, which held the sail in place, proved liable to snap, as did the leather belt that secured the rudder, leaving the ship helpless on the open seas.
Times, Sunday Times
A narrow belt to thread through the loops of those high-waisted trousers.
Times, Sunday Times
The lowlands occur as a narrow belt almost parallel to the present shoreline.
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It consisted of a series of lightly armoured compartments, extending laterally along a narrow belt that intersected the ship's waterline.
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The centreline bulkhead between the engine and boiler rooms caused a danger of capsizing if one side flooded and their narrow belt armor became submerged when overloaded.
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Subsequently, these zones are divided into narrower belts, called vegetation belts.
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This was coupled to a countershaft by a rubber belt.
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This system uses a wide single rubber belt, constructed with a multi-ply design similar to a modern car tire.
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Current construction uses a rubber belt with plastic buckets.
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Dummy heads or pick-up headers feature spring-tined pickups, usually attached to a heavy rubber belt.
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The first versions, from the 1970s, used rubber belts, which could snap; steel belts are now used.
Times, Sunday Times
Finish off with a skinny belt, but don't even think about buckling it.
Times, Sunday Times
Team a plum clutch or skinny belt with leather trousers or a metallic dress for shiny, happy chic.
The Sun
It works best with a skinny belt, rope or ribbon.
Times, Sunday Times
Finish off pyjama pants and pencil skirts with a skinny belt in pastel colours, glitter and metallics.
Times, Sunday Times
Concealed buttons are optional but for an up-to-date take, look for a skinny belt, which will do interesting things to the silhouette.
Times, Sunday Times
Then, a cool waist-length jacket with a really thick belt and some ankle boots to make an edgy, groovy outfit.
Times, Sunday Times
Wide trousers work better in fluid, drapey fabrics such as crepe or wool flannel and look best when teamed with crisp shirts, slouchy or fine knitwear and a thick belt.
Times, Sunday Times
Wear it with a thick belt.
Times, Sunday Times
The bow was protected by a 60 mm thick belt, while the stern was given 125 mm of armor protection.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The rescue team used thick belts and ropes to attach her legs to hoist her up very slowly, and she emerged feet first.
Times,Sunday Times
Wear it with a thin belt.
Times, Sunday Times
The nose of the crankshaft carries a torsional vibration damper, a four-bladed fan, and the pulley for the triangulated thin belt drive for the dynamo and water pump.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Thin belts featured large, but also trapeze-line and satin shirt dresses over trousers.
Times, Sunday Times
The redwood forests thrive in a thin belt up to 35 mi wide next to the coast, where the trees are kept moist by winter rains and summer fog.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Tie a belt round the waist to fit in somewhere in between.
Times, Sunday Times
Let your cardigan cascade down the lapels and tie the belt rather than buckling.
Times, Sunday Times
My father's, meantime, began to disintegrate even as, by now weeping with laughter, he tied the belt.
Globe and Mail
Tying their belts gets them pumped and makes their punches more destructive.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
A story took seed that his tool belt had hit the water first, breaking the surface tension.
Times, Sunday Times
Maybe it's the tool belt ... or the throbbing power tools.
The Sun
Get your handy tool belt and check your refrigerator drip pans and coils for a build-up of contaminants and dust.
Globe and Mail
He wears a tool belt and a yellow worker's helmet.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Buckles, straps, scaffolders' tool belts - it's all up for grabs now.
Times, Sunday Times
Apart from the odd little studded utility belt that would be handy only for biker-gang carpenters, this was a great - if slightly sinister - collection.
Times, Sunday Times
He tries to wriggle it towards his utility belt.
Times, Sunday Times
He chose workman's trousers 'with many deep pockets, to carry the items too big for my utility belt'.
Times, Sunday Times
Consisting primarily of a strap and buckle, the utility belt houses ten pouches or cylindrical cartridges that are attached to the outside of the belt.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Up until 1989, most artists drew the utility belt as a simple yellow belt with a buckle and capsules/cylinders around it.
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The suit consists of a waist belt with a battery pack and leg straps, connected to a sleeve on the calf.
Times, Sunday Times
Tassel earrings are big news right now and a thick, embellished waist belt will break up the colour.
The Sun
Shoulder straps will be unraveled and the waist belt will be unbuckled.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The waist belt buckles were usually quick-release, and shoulder straps sometimes had adjustable or quick release buckles.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Visitors wear a plastic hard hat, safety lamp, and a battery on a waist belt which weighs.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Change your silhouette and wear a belt with your shiftdress.
The Sun
They had to wear a belt and their distinctive hats at all times.
The Sun
It's all to do with how you cross the gown over and where you wear the belt.
Times, Sunday Times
If so, suggest he should be more discreet - and wear a belt.
The Sun
Wear a belt to define shape and add interest.
Times, Sunday Times
By adding a wide belt, we have not only customised the outfit, we have also given her a waist.
The Sun
Or you could glam it up with a wide belt and wear it cinched at the waist.
Times, Sunday Times
Wear a wide belt to cinch the waist and big earrings to offset the silhouette — it's all about balance.
Times,Sunday Times
If you go for separates, cinch in your waist with a wide belt to give that curvy silhouette.
Times, Sunday Times
It's more a muffin wide belt.
Times, Sunday Times
Translations:
Chinese: 带子, 狠揍
Japanese: ベルト, 強く殴る
- broaden participation
- broaden the appeal of
- broaden the base
- broaden the focus
- broaden the market
- broaden the mind
- broaden the perspective
- broaden the pool
- broaden the range
- broaden the reach
- broaden the scope of
- broader perspective
- broader picture
- broad expanse
- broad front
- broad grin
- broad horizon
- broad implication
- broad interest
- broad interpretation
- broad issue
- broad knowledge
- broadly
- broadly
- broadly applicable