as in to fasten
to attach (a rope) to something so that it is secure
The climber belayed the rope.
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Recent Examples of belay
The ship’s resting place deep underwater helped preserve key features, like bow clamps and belaying pins, by limiting the growth of invasive quagga mussels, as noted in the release.
—
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Drinking should happen after you’re done belaying for the day.
—Outside Editors, Outside Online, 3 July 2025
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
Born as a design concept to give climbers a shoe to wear for quick access to the crag, comfort when belaying and recovery after a climb, the Kragg fills a need.
—Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for belay
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Drinking should happen after you’re done belaying for the day.
—Outside Editors, Outside Online, 3 July 2025
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
Born as a design concept to give climbers a shoe to wear for quick access to the crag, comfort when belaying and recovery after a climb, the Kragg fills a need.
—Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for belay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belay
Verb
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There, a group of KPMG staffers followed and sometimes interjected their own thoughts on the building, while workers fastened the last screws on light bulbs and organized plants strewn around the office.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
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The macaques were secured by three gates, each fastened by two sets of locks and latches.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The post 9/11 blunders in which Cheney played a part can be tied to the rise of ISIS, perennial instability in the Middle East, the migrant crisis and the crushing debt burden ($38 trillion and counting) that looms over the US economy.—
Ben Wedeman,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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This was tied at 20-20 through 14 minutes, until the game went tilt with a 20-5 Aztecs run to close the half.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Once Jeopardy's John Pork question was clipped for TikTok, users on the platform argued that the clue wasn't completely accurate, as John Pork appeared on social media as early as 2018, before generative AI was widely accessible.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
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Melissa went on to tear through Cuba and the Bahamas before clipping Bermuda on its way out to sea.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Vesia’s teammate, Will Klein, mentioned Alex and Kayla after the Dodgers clinched back-to-back World Series titles.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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For context, Chappell Roan clinched that trophy last year.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Collective humanity is also at the heart of the installation My Mommy is Beautiful (2004), where visitors can write thoughts about or pin photographs of their mothers.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
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Some Republican lawmakers have made Mamdani an attack line in their criticism of Jeffries and Schumer amid the shutdown, trying to pin the impasse on pressure from the Democrats' left flank.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Her purplish hands remained clenched on her chest.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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To estimate 10 degrees in the sky, use the width of your clenched first held at arm's length.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Crew members strap Vaughan into the harness, attach him to the crane, and lift him off the ground as Bennett films the whole thing on his cell phone.—
Kristen Baldwin,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
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Marty Friedman straps one on and puts it through its paces, cranking out some maximum riffage while lighting up Godzilla on the face of the guitar.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belay. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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