belts

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of belt.

   She sorted the studded belts by width before packing them.

   Heavy rain fell across several belts of farmland in the valley.

   Note

   A regular plural that covers every kind of band the noun names: leather belts at the waist, seat belts, the drive belts of a machine, trophy belts in martial arts, even belts of asteroids orbiting a star. The same spelling is also the verb's he-she-it form, so a determiner settles it. In the belts or two belts, the word is a noun.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of belt.

   The lead singer belts the final note with surprising power.

   She belts her raincoat tightly before stepping out into the storm.

   Note

   Every use of this verb takes a direct object: she belts the chorus, he belts his coffee, a ring of hills belts the town. Only the singing meaning is informal. Encircling, fastening and the ceremonial belting of a knight sit comfortably in neutral prose. When belts follows a singular subject and comes before its object, it is the verb rather than the plural noun.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2