belt

noun

(clothing) A band worn around the waist to hold clothing to one's body (usually pants), hold weapons (such as a gun or sword), or serve as a decorative piece of clothing.

A band used as a restraint for safety purposes, such as a seat belt.

A band that is used in a machine to help transfer motion or power.

Anything that resembles a belt, or that encircles or crosses like a belt; a strip or stripe.

(usually capitalized) A geographical region known for a particular product, feature or demographic (Corn Belt, Bible Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt).

A trophy in the shape of a belt, generally awarded for martial arts.

A powerful blow, often made with a fist or heavy object.

(baseball) The part of the strike zone at the height of the batter's waist.

(weaponry) A device that holds and feeds cartridges into a belt-fed weapon.

(astronomy) A collection of small bodies (such as asteroids) which orbit a star.

(astronomy) One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds.

(geography, geology) A mostly-continuous, often curvilinear structure expressed on the surface or in the subsurface of a terrestrial planet or other solid planemo, such as a mountain belt, a fold and thrust belt, or an ore belt.

(military, nautical) A band of armor along the sides of a warship, protecting the ship's vital spaces.

A quick drink of liquor.

(music) A vocal tone produced by singing with chest voice above the break (or passaggio), in a range typically sung in head voice.

A town in Cascade County, Montana, United States.

A surname.

Ellipsis of Main Asteroid Belt: a region of Solar System. [Synonym of main belt.]

verb

(transitive) To hit with a belt.

(transitive, informal, normally belt out) To scream or sing in a loud, strong manner.

(transitive, colloquial) To hit someone or something.

(transitive, baseball) To hit a pitched ball a long distance, usually for a home run.

(transitive) To encircle.

(transitive) To fasten a belt on.

(transitive) To invest (a person) with a belt as part of a formal ceremony such as knighthood.

(transitive) To drink quickly, often in gulps.

(intransitive) To move very fast.

Roots

balteusbelt- · Latin · girdle, sword-belt

Synonyms for belt

baldricn girdlen cincturen waistbandn strapv cummerbundn encincture swathn bellybandn waistclothn thongn sashn collarn wristletn

Synonyms & related words for belt

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of belt — including baldric, girdle, cincture, waistband, strap, cummerbund. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to belt

Explore words related to belt — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include unbelted, buckle, latchet, unbuckling, bandoleer, suspender, seatbelt, greenbelt. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for belt

Common synonyms for belt include baldric, girdle, cincture, waistband, strap, cummerbund, encincture, swath — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does belt come from?

The word belt breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root belt, from Latin balteus (“girdle, sword-belt”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.