Library / English Dictionary

BELT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of hitting vigorously

Example:

he gave the table a whack

Synonyms:

belt; knock; rap; whack; whang

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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

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

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:

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 4

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

belt; belt ammunition; belted ammunition

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

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

Sense 5

Meaning:

A vigorous blow

Example:

he got a bang on the head

Synonyms:

bang; bash; belt; knock; smash

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

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

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

Derivation:

belt (deliver a blow to)

Sense 6

Meaning:

An elongated region where a specific condition or characteristic is found

Example:

a belt of high pressure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

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 7

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

belt; swath

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

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

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

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Fasten with a belt

Example:

belt your trousers

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Deliver a blow to

Example:

He belted his opponent

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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:

Sing loudly and forcefully

Synonyms:

belt; belt out

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

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

sing (produce tones with the voice)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

Understanding the processes that convert these waves tells us how the charged particles in radiation belts are distributed, and how they can impact our satellites.

(Scientists deepen understanding of magnetic fields that surround Earth, National Science Foundation)

He was laughing with his red mouth; the sharp white teeth glinted in the moonlight when he turned to look back over the belt of trees, to where the dogs were barking.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

When we get back to Dawson she ask me to buy good revolver for her. I buy a Colt's 44. It is very heavy, but she carry it in her belt all the time.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

With high hopes we struck across the peaty, russet moor, intersected with a thousand sheep paths, until we came to the broad, light-green belt which marked the morass between us and Holdernesse.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This belt was the most salient thing about him.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

"They are lovely. But Beth's roses are sweeter to me," said Mrs. March, smelling the half-dead posy in her belt.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

I was a harum-scarum, reckless lad, and he had had an education, and was already marked for the sword-belt.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

We are taking preventative action and keeping a vaccination belt in cities closer to the boundary with Minas Gerais state, and we also offer immunization ten days in advance to those traveling there.

(Aedes mosquitoes almost impossible to eradicate, says Brazilian researcher, Agência Brasil)

They collected soil samples, enveloped trees in belts to measure growth on a fine scale and planted sensors that continue to collect data on soil moisture and temperature, which varies widely in forests.

(From tropical to boreal ecosystems, temperature drives functioning, National Science Foundation)

By comparison, Vesta has an average diameter of 525 kilometers, and is the second most massive body in the belt.

(Dawn Spacecraft Begins Approach to Dwarf Planet Ceres, NASA)