belt
belt — noun
1. a long thin band, usually made of leather or fabric, that you fasten around your
a long thin band, usually made of leather or fabric, that you fasten around your waist to hold up trousers or skirts, or simply to look stylish.
Nia tightened her leather belt before heading into the office.
tighten / loosen + a [material] belt
Rashida wore a thin gold belt over her summer dress.
wear + a + [adjective] belt + over [garment]
These jeans are loose, so I need a belt to keep them up.
The little boy could not fasten the buckle on his belt.
Mira hung her keys from a small loop on her belt.
用法筆記
Often appears with verbs of fastening: 'put on', 'fasten', 'buckle', 'tighten', 'loosen', 'undo'. The material is usually named just before the noun ('leather belt', 'cloth belt').
常見錯誤
2. a long loop of rubber or similar tough material inside a machine that turns arou
a long loop of rubber or similar tough material inside a machine that turns around two wheels, either to drive other parts or to carry items from one place to another.
The factory belt slowly carried bottles toward the labelling machine.
conveyor sense: belt + carry / move + objects
Passengers waited near the belt for their suitcases to appear.
airport baggage belt context
Nia replaced the worn rubber belt inside the engine.
When the belt snapped, every machine on the line stopped at once.
用法筆記
Two main subtypes share this sense: a 'conveyor belt' (carries objects) and a 'drive belt' or 'fan belt' (transmits power inside engines). Subject is almost always a machine, factory line, or vehicle, never a person.
常見錯誤
3. a long stretch of land, often near a city or running across a country, that shar
a long stretch of land, often near a city or running across a country, that shares one main feature — for example, the kind of people who live there, the crops grown there, or the climate.
Many young families have moved out to the commuter belt around London.
fixed compound: commuter belt
The town sits in the rust belt, where old steel factories once thrived.
fixed compound: rust belt
Farms across the corn belt depend on heavy summer rain.
A green belt of parks surrounds the old city centre.
用法筆記
Almost always preceded by a defining word: 'commuter belt', 'rust belt', 'cotton belt', 'green belt', 'Bible belt'. Without that word, 'belt' rarely carries this geographical meaning.
常見錯誤
4. a sudden, forceful strike given to a person or thing, usually with a fist, the f
a sudden, forceful strike given to a person or thing, usually with a fist, the flat of a hand, or a heavy object.
Mateo gave the stuck door a belt with his shoulder and it finally opened.
give + something + a belt
One belt from the boxer sent his opponent to the floor.
a belt + from + [person]
The angry farmer threatened to give the thief a belt round the ear.
Nia gave the bully a hard belt on the jaw and walked away.
用法筆記
Informal and chiefly British or Irish. Most common in the pattern 'give somebody a belt' or 'a belt round the ear'. American English usually prefers 'a punch', 'a smack' or 'a wallop' for the same meaning.
常見錯誤
belt — verb
1. to move very quickly in one direction, especially when talking about cars, motor
to move very quickly in one direction, especially when talking about cars, motorbikes, or runners going much faster than normal.
A red sports car came belting down the narrow lane.
belt + along / down + [path]
Nia belted across the field to catch the last bus home.
belt + across + [place]
The motorbike was belting past us at well over a hundred.
Rashida belted up the stairs when she heard the smoke alarm.
- crawl
to move very slowly, often used about traffic
文法句型
belt + along / down / past / up [place]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by a direction word ('along', 'down', 'past', 'up', 'across'). Informal and chiefly British; in American English 'tear', 'race' or 'speed' are more common in the same situations.
常見錯誤
2. to hit a person or thing with a lot of force, often in anger or in a fight.
to hit a person or thing with a lot of force, often in anger or in a fight.
Mateo belted the ball over the back fence on his first swing.
belt + [object] + [direction]: sports use
Two drunk customers belted each other outside the bar.
belt + each other: in a fight
Nia belted the table with her fist when she heard the result.
If you belt your little brother again, you will be sent to your room.
- stroke
to touch gently, the opposite kind of contact
文法句型
belt + [person / object]
用法筆記
Informal. Two typical patterns: hitting a person in anger ('he belted his rival') and striking a ball with great force in sports ('she belted the ball into the net'). Avoid in formal writing — prefer 'hit', 'strike', or 'punch'.
常見錯誤
3. to hold a piece of clothing close to the body, or to keep a person safely in a s
to hold a piece of clothing close to the body, or to keep a person safely in a seat, by putting a belt or strap around it.
Rashida belted her long coat at the waist before stepping into the snow.
belt + [garment] + at the waist
The flight attendant checked that every child was belted into a seat.
passive: be belted into a seat
Mateo belted his sword to his side before riding out of the village.
Mira belted the loose cardigan so that it looked smarter for the meeting.
- unbuckle
to undo a belt or strap
文法句型
belt + [object / person]
be belted + into [seat]
用法筆記
Very often passive: 'be belted in', 'be belted into'. The object is usually a coat, dress, or jacket (to give it shape) or a person in a vehicle seat. Distinguish from sense 1: this is about fastening, not about speed.
常見錯誤
4. to sing a song with a very strong, powerful voice so that it sounds full and rea
to sing a song with a very strong, powerful voice so that it sounds full and reaches the back of a room or stage.
Mira belted out the chorus and the whole bar joined in.
belt out + the chorus
The young singer belted her final song to a standing crowd.
belt + [song] without 'out'
Rashida can belt a high note without sounding tired.
Mateo belted out old rock hits during the long drive home.
- whisper
to speak or sing very quietly, the opposite kind of voice
文法句型
belt out + [song]
belt + [song] + out
用法筆記
Almost always paired with 'out' for songs and choruses ('belt out a tune'). Suggests volume and power rather than sweetness — used about pop, rock, or musical-theatre singing, rarely about lullabies or quiet ballads.