BELT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does belt mean? 

• BELT (noun)
  The noun BELT has 7 senses:

1. endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys

2. a band to tie or buckle around the body (usually at the waist)

3. an elongated region where a specific condition or characteristic is found

4. a vigorous blow

5. a path or strip (as cut by one course of mowing)

6. ammunition (usually of small caliber) loaded in flexible linked strips for use in a machine gun

7. the act of hitting vigorously

  Familiarity information: BELT used as a noun is common.

• BELT (verb)
  The verb BELT has 3 senses:

1. sing loudly and forcefully

2. deliver a blow to

3. fasten with a belt

  Familiarity information: BELT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BELT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("belt" is a kind of...):

loop (anything with a round or oval shape (formed by a curve that is closed and does not intersect itself))

Meronyms (substance of "belt"):

belting (the material of which belts are made)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "belt"):

band (a driving belt in machinery)

conveyer; conveyer belt; conveyor; conveyor belt; transporter (a moving belt that transports objects (as in a factory))

driving belt (a belt that carries motion from a motor to the machinery)

fan belt (a belt driven by the crankshaft that drives a fan that pulls air through the radiator)

caterpillar track; caterpillar tread; track (an endless metal belt on which tracked vehicles move over the ground)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A band to tie or buckle around the body (usually at the waist)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("belt" is a kind of...):

accessory; accouterment; accoutrement (clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of your main clothing)

Meronyms (parts of "belt"):

belt buckle (the buckle used to fasten a belt)

Meronyms (substance of "belt"):

belting (the material of which belts are made)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "belt"):

baldric; baldrick (a wide (ornamented) belt worn over the right shoulder to support a sword or bugle by the left hip)

cartridge belt (a broad belt with loops or pockets for holding ammunition)

holster (a belt with loops or slots for carrying small hand tools)

money belt (belt with a concealed section for holding money)

life belt; safety belt; safety harness (belt attaching you to some object as a restraint in order to prevent you from getting hurt)

Sam Browne belt (leather belt supported by a strap over the right shoulder)

Derivation:

belt (fasten with a belt)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An elongated region where a specific condition or characteristic is found

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

a belt of high pressure

Hypernyms ("belt" is a kind of...):

part; region (the extended spatial location of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "belt"):

asteroid belt (the region of interplanetary space between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids are found)

greenbelt; greenway (a belt of parks or rural land surrounding a town or city)

Instance hyponyms:

Bible Belt (southern and midwestern United States where Protestant fundamentalism is dominant)

Corn Belt (the midwestern states in the U.S. where corn is grown; Iowa and Illinois are excellent for raising corn and corn-fed livestock)

Van Allen belt (a belt of charged particles (resulting from cosmic rays) above the Earth trapped by the Earth's magnetic field)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A vigorous blow

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

bang; bash; belt; knock; smash

Context example:

he got a bang on the head

Hypernyms ("belt" is a kind of...):

blow; bump (an impact (as from a collision))

Derivation:

belt (deliver a blow to)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A path or strip (as cut by one course of mowing)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

belt; swath

Hypernyms ("belt" is a kind of...):

course; path; track (a line or route along which something travels or moves)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Ammunition (usually of small caliber) loaded in flexible linked strips for use in a machine gun

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

belt; belt ammunition; belted ammunition

Hypernyms ("belt" is a kind of...):

ammo; ammunition (projectiles to be fired from a gun)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of hitting vigorously

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

belt; knock; rap; whack; whang

Context example:

he gave the table a whack

Hypernyms ("belt" is a kind of...):

blow (a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon)

• BELT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they belt    ... he / she / it belts   
Past simple: belted   
Past participle: belted   
-ing form: belting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sing loudly and forcefully

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

belt; belt out

Hypernyms (to "belt" is one way to...):

sing (produce tones with the voice)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Deliver a blow to

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He belted his opponent

Hypernyms (to "belt" is one way to...):

hit (deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The fighter managed to belt his opponent

Derivation:

belt (a vigorous blow)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Fasten with a belt

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

belt your trousers

Hypernyms (to "belt" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Antonym:

unbelt (undo the belt of)

Derivation:

belt (a band to tie or buckle around the body (usually at the waist))

 Context examples 

This result suggests that Proxima Centauri may have a multiple planet system with a rich history of interactions that resulted in the formation of a dust belt.

(ALMA Discovers Cold Dust Around Nearest Star, ESO)

Jupiter’s poles are a stark contrast to the more familiar orange and white belts and zones encircling the planet at lower latitudes.

(Jupiter’s Jet-Streams Are Unearthly, NASA)

A smaller sized lagomorph, the Dutch belted rabbit has black hindquarters, ears and black patches around the eyes while the feet, face, and front half of the body are white.

(Dutch Belted Rabbit, NCI Thesaurus)

As soon as I was mounted, holding on to Dogger's belt, the supervisor gave the word, and the party struck out at a bouncing trot on the road to Dr. Livesey's house.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The use of a rotary drum, belt, or other moving filter to purify a slurry.

(Moving Filter Filtration, NCI Thesaurus)

High-resolution images of the Pluto-facing hemisphere of Charon, reveal details of a belt of fractures and canyons just north of the moon’s equator.

(Pluto’s Big Moon Charon Reveals a Colorful and Violent History, NASA)

Microtubules are cylindrical structures that provide shape to cells and act as conveyor belts, ferrying molecular cargo throughout cells.

(Scientists unravel the mystery of the tubulin code, NIH)

Just as night fell we cleared the belt of bamboos, and at once formed our camp, exhausted by the interminable day.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Ten paces from the fringe of trees he glanced around, and waving his hand he crouched down, and was lost to sight among a belt of furze-bushes.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I resigned the belt when I could get no one to fight me for it, and I took to teaching.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)