(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a strip of leather or cloth that you fasten round your waist.
He wore a ~ with a large brass buckle.
N-COUNT
see also safety ~ , seat ~
2.
A ~ in a machine is a circular strip of rubber that is used to drive moving parts or to move objects along.
The turning disc is connected by a drive ~ to an electric motor.
N-COUNT
see also conveyor ~ , fan ~
3.
A ~ of land or sea is a long, narrow area of it that has some special feature.
Miners in Zambia’s northern copper ~ have gone on strike...
= strip
N-COUNT: with supp
see also Bible Belt , commuter ~ , green ~
4.
If someone ~s you, they hit you very hard. (INFORMAL)
‘Is it right she ~ed old George in the gut?’ she asked.
= thump
VERB: V n
•
Belt is also a noun.
Father would give you a ~ over the head with the scrubbing brush.
N-COUNT
5.
If you ~ somewhere, you move or travel there very fast. (INFORMAL)
We ~ed down Iveagh Parade to where the motor was.
= dash
VERB: V prep/adv
6.
see also ~ed
7.
Something that is below the ~ is cruel and unfair.
Do you think it’s a bit below the ~ what they’re doing?
...this kind of below-the-~ discrimination.
PHRASE
8.
If you have to tighten your ~, you have to spend less money and manage without things because you have less money than you used to have.
Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you’ll need to tighten your ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
9.
If you have something under your ~, you have already achieved it or done it.
Clare is now a full-time author with six books, including four novels, under her ~.
PHRASE: have/with n PHR