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to belt

to belt

15 5.5
To sing loudly with a strong voice
  • verb
  • /bɛlt/
  • Informal
translation icon : cantar a todo pulmón
  • The girlfriend can belt out some runs that rival those of the best pop divas.

Yeah, but like songs where you belt it hard.

Examples

  • You see me dancing 'round up there each night, And belting out my songs with all my might.

  • So belt something out for us.

  • Like I can belt out oh holy night.

  • Man, you can really belt it out.

  • Right on key, belting out the song as if all the world could hear him.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Well, I just belted out a couple of... a couple of bars of All Of Me.

  • I was belting out a tune just for you in there.

  • None of that matters when she starts belting out Gretchen's "Here for the Party."

    Blog text (16)
  • Traffic let up, and I was cruising down the highway, belting out whatever came through the speakers.

    Blog text (26)
  • At the concert, the crowd belted out their favorite songs together.

Synonyms

to belt out
vsto belt
  • Informal
9 3.7

To sing or play music loudly with a lot of energy

focuses on powerful use of the voice rather than instruments
to sing one's heart out
vsto belt
  • Informal
4 4.8

To sing with great feeling and energy

focuses on loud, forceful delivery rather than pure emotional expression
to sing to the tonsils
vsto belt
  • Informal
9.7

Make a very loud, strong sound with your voice and much feeling

relies on sheer loud physical force rather than joyful tone
to sing like a jaybird
vsto belt
  • Informal
8.4

To sing very loudly and happily

employs loud, forceful sound rather than carefree joyful tone

Antonyms

586 1.0

To speak very quietly using only breath so one person can hear

103 4.9

To speak in a low, unclear voice that is hard to understand

Idioms

below the belt
  • Informal
9 6.7

An action or remark that is unfair and hurtful, especially when it attacks someone's personal life

5 5.8

Spend less and live more simply because you have less money

Phrasal Verbs

Buckle the belt across your body to stay safe in a car or plane

to belt out
  • Informal
9 3.7

To sing or play music loudly with a lot of energy

1 2.6

To fasten your seatbelt when you are in a car or plane

to belt along
  • Informal
6.0

To move very quickly, usually by running or driving

8.5

To drink quickly, often alcohol

to belt up
  • Offensive
9.2

To tell someone to stop talking and be quiet

Compounds

148 1.0

A strap that keeps a person sitting in a car or plane during an accident

30 2.8

A moving belt that carries things like boxes or luggage

24 3.5

A very skilled person in martial arts like karate or judo who wears a dark band at the waist

16 1.6

A piece of metal that fastens a belt around the waist

9 4.9

A region of the northeastern and midwestern United States with many old factories and fewer people

A region between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids orbit the Sun

Bible Belt
  • Literature
8 4.9

An area in the southern and midwestern United States where many people attend Protestant churches

7 6.7

A wide elastic belt with straps that holds up stockings

7 1.0

A strap that keeps a person fastened to a seat to protect them in a crash or fall

fan belt
  • Specialized
5 3.7

A belt in a car engine that turns the fan to cool the engine

2 3.6

A warm part of the southern and southwestern United States that attracts people and businesses

2 3.3

A belt worn under clothes to hide and keep money safe

black belt
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A person with advanced Six Sigma training who leads projects to improve how a company works

1 3.1

An area in the US Midwest where farmers mainly grow corn

Kuiper belt
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A region of space beyond Neptune with many small icy objects and dwarf planets

Kuiper belt object
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small icy or rocky body that orbits the Sun beyond Neptune

1 1.9

A round floating ring worn around the body to keep a person afloat in water

Van Allen belt
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A ring of charged particles above Earth's atmosphere held by its magnetic field

1 2.3

A small bag with a zipper worn around the waist to carry items

1 9.1

A part of the Catskill Mountains with Jewish resorts popular in the mid 1900s

cartridge belt
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A wide belt with loops or pockets for carrying bullets

driving belt
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A belt that moves power from a motor to other machine parts

1 3.2

A padded strap worn around the hips that helps carry and support a backpack

A leather belt with a strap over the right shoulder used in military or police uniforms to carry a sword

1 6.9

A ring of charged particles held by Earth's magnetic field that surrounds the planet

belt ammunition
  • Specialized
7.4

A linked strip of small bullets used in a machine gun

A person or company that makes belts for clothing

9.9

A ceremonial strap attached to a bishop's staff that shows their authority in church services

4.4

Shaped like a band that goes around something

borsht belt
  • Archaic
8.6

A region of summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains popular with Jewish guests and famous for many comedians

A strong belt worn around the waist to hold you safely when going up trees or cliffs

3.0

A moving band that carries things like luggage or boxes

Edgeworth-Kuiper belt
  • Specialized
9.9

A ring of small icy objects beyond Neptune that orbit the Sun and sometimes become comets

bagel belt
  • Informal
9.9

A belt worn as a joke that holds or looks like a bagel

life belt
  • Specialized
3.8

A strap that keeps a person tied to something fixed to stop them falling

3.5

A narrow band worn around the hips to add style or hold clothing in place

hip belt
  • Specialized
3.3

A wide band worn around the hips to reduce pain and support the lower back

A wide elastic band worn around the waist with straps to hold up stockings

A rich area near a big city where many people travel to work

How Loud

bellow
20 4.6
to belt
  • Informal
15 5.5
to sing
1.0
to croon
14 6.3

Surface Forms

belt infinitive
belted past
belted past participle
belting present participle
belts third person singular

Etymology

To belt a song probably comes from the idea of giving a strong push, like a hard hit with a band; so to belt out a tune is to push the sound out loudly and powerfully.