belay

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verb be·lay \bi-ˈlā, bē-\

Definition of belay

belayed

;

belaying

transitive verb
1a : to secure (a rope or cable) by turns around a cleat (see ¹cleat 1b), pin, or bittb : to make fast : to fasten down belaying ammunition on deck
2 nautical : stop, cancel belay that last order
3a : to secure (a person) at the end of a rope belay a climber … belaying each other over the difficult places. — National Geographicb : 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 ¹line 1) fast by turns around a cleat, pin, or bitt

belayer

play \-ər\ noun

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Examples of belay in a Sentence

The climber belayed the rope.

Recent Examples of belay from the Web

The class finished with the auto belay, a machine that belays for solo climbers.

— kara carlson, The Seattle Times, "First time at the rock gym: Here’s how you get started," 12 July 2017
Rope is looped around metal dowels called belaying pins that sit in a horizontal steel bar called a pin rail.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "Like sand through an hourglass, National Theatre’s sandbags are slipping away," 26 June 2017
And experience with mountaineering techniques like belaying isn’t required.

— jeff crider, Condé Nast Traveler, "An Amateur's Guide to Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro," 10 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of belay

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1550

See Words from the same year

belay

noun be·lay

Definition of belay

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