# belt

Pronunciation: say "BELT" /bɛlt/

## Noun

1. A band worn around the waist to hold up clothing, carry weapons such as a sword or gun, or serve as decoration.
   - Simple: A strip of leather or cloth worn around the waist to hold up pants or to look nice.
   - _The officer's belt held both a holster and a baton._
   - _She chose a wide leather belt to complete the outfit._
2. A strap used to hold a person securely for safety, such as a seat belt in a vehicle.
   - Simple: A strap that holds you safely in place, like the one in a car.
   - _She tugged the belt across her lap and clicked it into place._
   - _Safety belts in race cars use multiple straps to restrain the driver._
3. A flexible loop in a machine that transfers motion or power from one moving part to another.
   - Simple: A loop of strong material in a machine that moves parts or passes power along.
   - _The mechanic replaced the belt that drives the water pump._
   - _When the belt snapped, the conveyor ground to a halt._
6. A region recognized for a particular product, natural feature, or group of people, as in the Corn Belt or Bible Belt.
   - Simple: A large area known for one main thing, like a crop, belief, or type of people.
   - _Their town sits in the heart of the country's manufacturing belt._
   - _Churches dominate the small towns throughout the Bible belt._
7. A trophy made in the shape of a belt, usually awarded to a champion in martial arts or boxing.
   - Simple: A prize shaped like a wide belt, given to a champion in fighting sports.
   - _He defended his heavyweight belt for the third straight year._
   - _The new champion strapped the gleaming belt around her waist._
9. Anything resembling a band that encircles or crosses something; a strip or stripe.
   - Simple: A long strip or band that wraps around or crosses something, like a wide stripe.
   - _A belt of dense forest separates the two valleys._
   - _The planet is circled by a bright belt of icy debris._
10. A hard hit, often delivered with the fist or with something heavy.
   - Simple: A strong, powerful hit with a fist or heavy object.
   - _She landed a solid belt on the speed bag._
   - _A single belt from the champion ended the fight._
12. A powerful vocal tone produced by carrying the chest voice above the natural break, into a range usually sung in head voice.
   - Simple: A loud, powerful singing sound made high in the voice but with a full, chesty tone.
   - _The role demands a confident belt on the show's final number._
   - _Her belt soars over the orchestra without any strain._
13. A group of small bodies, such as asteroids, that orbit a star together.
   - Simple: A ring of many small space rocks that circle a star.
   - _A wide belt of asteroids separates the inner planets from the outer ones._
   - _Several debris belts circle the young star at different distances._
17. A quick swallow or shot of strong liquor.
   - Simple: A fast drink of strong alcohol.
   - _He knocked back a belt of brandy to steady his nerves._
   - _After two belts of rum, he finally started to relax._
19. A mostly continuous, often curving structure on or beneath the surface of a planet, such as a mountain belt or an ore belt.
   - Simple: A long, often curved strip of similar rock or mountains across part of a planet's surface.
   - _The survey team followed the volcanic belt for two hundred miles._
   - _Several mineral belts cross the region from north to south._
20. The part of the strike zone level with the batter's waist.
   - Simple: The middle part of the strike zone, level with the batter's waist.
   - _The fastball caught the belt and was called a strike._
   - _Pitches at the belt are the easiest ones to drive._
21. A linked strip or device that holds cartridges and feeds them into a belt-fed weapon.
   - Simple: A linked strip that holds bullets and feeds them into a machine gun.
   - _The soldier fed a fresh belt into the machine gun._
   - _Empty belts littered the ground after the firefight._
22. A band of armor running along the sides of a warship to protect its vital spaces.
   - Simple: A strip of thick armor along the sides of a warship that protects its important parts.
   - _The cruiser's armor belt absorbed several direct hits._
   - _Designers thickened the belts on the newest battleships._
24. A dark cloud zone that circles the planet Jupiter or Saturn.
   - Simple: A dark band of clouds that circles Jupiter or Saturn.
   - _A prominent belt of brown clouds rings Jupiter's middle._
   - _Saturn's belts are far fainter than those of Jupiter._

## Verb

4. To strike someone or something with a forceful blow. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To hit someone or something hard.
   - _If you belt the drum that hard, you'll break it._
   - _The boxer belted his opponent with a heavy right hook._
5. To fasten a belt around someone or something.
   - Simple: To put a belt on and fasten it.
   - _He belted the saddle securely before mounting the horse._
   - _Travelers must belt their luggage onto the roof rack._
8. To travel or move at high speed.
   - Simple: To move along very fast.
   - _He belted along the country road, late for work._
   - _Cars belt past this corner far too quickly._
11. To sing or shout something loudly and forcefully. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To sing or shout something in a loud, strong voice.
   - _The singer belted the final note with raw power._
   - _Fans belt every line of the anthem at games._
14. To strike a person or animal with a belt.
   - Simple: To hit someone with a belt.
   - _The overseer would belt any worker who slowed down._
   - _He belted the boy across the back with a leather strap._
15. To surround something completely, forming a band or ring around its full perimeter.
   - Simple: To wrap tightly around something so it is fully surrounded.
   - _Ancient fortifications belt the hilltop city, tracing its entire edge._
   - _A ring of coral reefs belts the small island just offshore._
16. To drink something quickly, often in large gulps.
   - Simple: To drink something fast, in big gulps.
   - _The men would belt their whiskey and order another round._
   - _He belted a cup of cold coffee and got straight back to work._
18. To send a pitched ball flying a great distance with a hit that usually results in a home run.
   - Simple: To hit a thrown ball very far, usually for a home run.
   - _The slugger belted a fastball deep into center field._
   - _Batters who belt home runs reliably draw big crowds._
23. To formally present a person with a belt during a ceremony such as a knighting.
   - Simple: To give someone a belt in a special ceremony, such as when making a knight.
   - _The monarch belted the warrior as a reward for his loyalty._
   - _Lords gathered to belt the new knights at dawn._

## Origin

From Middle English and Old English "belt" (belt, girdle), going back through Proto-Germanic to Latin "balteus" (belt, sword-belt), which was of Etruscan origin. It is related to Dutch "belt," German "Balz," Danish "bælte," Swedish "bälte" and Icelandic "belti."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/belt (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).