belay

1 of 2

verb

be·​lay bi-ˈlā 

bē-

belayed; belaying

transitive verb

1

a

: to secure (a rope or cable) by turns around a cleat (see cleat entry 1 sense 1b), pin, or bitt

b

: to make fast : to fasten down

belaying ammunition on deck

2

nautical : stop, cancel

belay that last order

3

a

: to secure (a person) at the end of a rope

belay a climber

… belaying each other over the difficult places.

—National Geographic

b

: to secure (a rope) to a person or object

intransitive verb

1

: to be made fast

knowing where each rope belays on deck

2

nautical : stop, quit

—used in the imperative

belay there

3

: to make a line (see line entry 1 sense 1) fast by turns around a cleat, pin, or bitt

belayer

bi-ˈlā-ər 

bē-

noun

belay

2 of 2

noun

1

: the securing of a person or a safety rope to an anchor point (as during mountain climbing)

Belays are more difficult to secure on ice and snow than on rock …

—Kenneth A. Henderson

also : a method of so securing a person or rope

2

: something (such as a projection of rock) to which a person or rope is anchored

Examples of belay in a Sentence

Verb

The climber belayed the rope.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

So the climbers who found the elk helped rig him up to belay the creature to the base of the wall, officials said. —Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 7 Jan. 2025

Mountain Seed cofounder Nathan Schmidt belays a camper. —Kyra Kennedy, Outside Online, 29 Sep. 2024

Noun

All three support her during her attempts on Golden Gate through constant belays (Honnold), gentle pep talks (Ballinger), or healthy debriefs (Nelson). —Sam MacIlwaine, Outside Online, 29 May 2025

Rappelling is a technique climbers use to hoist themselves down a vertical drop, with a rope and belay. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English beleggen to beset, from Old English belecgan, from be- + lecgan to lay

Noun

noun derivative of belay entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for belay

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• beltway
• beret
• betray

Kids Definition

belay

verb

be·​lay

bi-ˈlā

1

: to make (as a rope) fast by turns around a cleat or pin

2

: cease, stop