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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When fastened, the zippers are locked in place, and pickpockets would have to fidget for a moment to get the gadget undone, giving you time to react.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
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On the shipwreck the hatches are fastened properly.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His two-out, two-run double off Bryan Baker gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the eighth but Tampa Bay tied the score in the bottom half when Nick Fortes doubled leading off against Max Fried and scored on Yandy Díaz’s infield hit, a high-hopper to first baseman Ben Rice.—
Kristie Ackert,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2026
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His father was the fourth generation in a long line of gentlemen ranchers—weekend cowboys who’d made their fortune in Austin as attorneys for large oil companies, but whose identity was still tied to the thousands of acres that the family owned near Marfa.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Both the House and Senate want to clip DeSantis’ wings.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Thanks to the rise of algorithmic feeds, clipping has morphed into the creator economy’s version of wheatpasting.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Amen Thompson had a career-high 41 points and Kevin Durant added 33 for the Rockets, who have clinched a playoff berth but are still playing for postseason seeding.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Payton Pritchard finished with 21 points and 10 assists for Boston, which clinched the Atlantic Division.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bae carefully examines the cotton jacket before moving in to pin it, circling the customer like a sculptor with a chisel.—
Anne D’Innocenzio,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Lay it over the area, and use small garden stakes or staples to pin it in place.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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May watched, jaw clenched, arms crossed, eyes glassy.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Protect against teeth grinding, clenching and enamel damage with custom dental solutions from ClearClub.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The four astronauts will be driven to the launch pad roughly 4 hours and 40 minutes before liftoff, and crews will help strap them into their seats aboard the Orion capsule.—
Charlie Gile,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
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Targeting liftoff as early as next Wednesday, the quartet will strap into the spacecraft safe and sound thanks to the five people that are part of the closeout crew.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belay. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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