From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbeltbelt1 /belt/ ●●● S2 W3 noun [countable] 1 CLOTHESDCCa band of leather, cloth etc that you wear around your waist to hold up your clothes or for decoration He unbuckled his leather belt.2 AREADNa large area of land that has particular features or where particular people live America’s farming belt the green (=countryside) belt British English → green belt3 MACHINE PARTTDa circular band of something such as rubber that connects or moves parts of a machine → conveyor belt, fan belt4 → below the belt5 → have something under your belt6 → belt and braces → black belt, garter belt, safety belt, seat belt, suspender belt, → tighten your belt at tighten(6)COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a large area of land that has particular features or where particular people liveADJECTIVES/NOUN + belt a wide beltAlong the coast is a wide belt of sand dunes.a narrow beltThe tree grows in a narrow belt around the western Mediterranean.the green belt British English (=land around a city where building is not allowed)the government's commitment to protecting the green belta mountain belt (=a long and wide area of mountains)mountain belts such as the Himalayasa coastal belt (=land along the coast)The wide coastal belt is a flat plain, partially wooded.an industrial belt (=where there are a lot of factories etc)the northern industrial belt of the United Statesthe corn/cotton/wheat belt (=where corn/cotton etc is grown)Western Australia's wheat beltthe commuter belt British English (=an area around a large city from where people travel to work in the city every day)House prices are high in the London commuter belt.the stockbroker belt British English (=an area around a city where rich people who work in the city live)wealthy families living in the stockbroker belt
Examples from the Corpus
belt• She rummaged around, hoping for inspiration, discarding brooches and beads and belts.• Grover loosened his belt a notch.• He took his belt off and started whacking Chrissie with it.• B Fashionable trousers with inverted front pleats, belt loops and turn-ups.• The pump belt was loose.• the sun belt states• The belt, like my bearskin necklace which I am wearing somewhat uncomfortably under my shirt, has spiritual value.• The older men put up their swords and unbuckled their belts, preparing for action.• Instead, students who arrive on campus with some community college credits under their belt can graduate early.beltbelt2 verb 1 hit [transitive]HIT informal to hit someone or something hard Dan belted the ball towards the goal.2 go quickly [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English spokenFAST/QUICK to go somewhere very fast SYN chargebelt down/along etc We were belting down the motorway at 95 miles per hour.3 fasten [transitive] to fasten something with a belt Maria belted her raincoat firmly. a dress belted loosely at the waist → belt something ↔ out → belt up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
belt• It is happy pottering through Sloane Square or belting around Silverstone.• She'd kill him if he disobeyed and Nev's dad had threatened to belt him, if he went.• Maggie just turned around and belted him.belt down/along etc• Picture the belt down across his chest with the sun glinting on the bullets that filled most of the loops.• Rain was belting down, drumming like bullets through the gutters.Origin belt1 Old English