as in to quiet (down)
to stop talking
the schoolboy ordered his mates to belt up about the prank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belt up
The evening’s co-main event bout between Raymond Ford and Thomas Mattice also has a belt up for grabs.
—
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Going back home Sunday looks nice, except for the Lake Effect Snow belt up in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
—Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
So getting some of those at-bats under his belt up here will be part of that.
—Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2022
Canelo Alvarez of Mexico (57-1-2, 39 KOs) steps back into the ring to try and conquer yet another weight class, this time putting on several pounds for a matchup against current WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol of Russia (19-0, 11 KOs) who is putting his belt up for grabs in this bout.
—oregonlive, 7 May 2022
Designed to attach to a belt up to 2½ inches wide or to a PALS system, the pouch comes very close to duplicating the performance of an OWB holster.
—Mike Dickerson, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2020
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Going back home Sunday looks nice, except for the Lake Effect Snow belt up in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
—Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
So getting some of those at-bats under his belt up here will be part of that.
—Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2022
Canelo Alvarez of Mexico (57-1-2, 39 KOs) steps back into the ring to try and conquer yet another weight class, this time putting on several pounds for a matchup against current WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol of Russia (19-0, 11 KOs) who is putting his belt up for grabs in this bout.
—oregonlive, 7 May 2022
Designed to attach to a belt up to 2½ inches wide or to a PALS system, the pouch comes very close to duplicating the performance of an OWB holster.
—Mike Dickerson, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belt up
Verb
-
However, after the Biden administration tapped into shell stockpiles to send to Ukraine, this source has dried up, too.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The Amu Darya was a primary source of water for the Aral Sea, which has largely dried up due to the diversion of its two main rivers (the Amu Darya and Syr Darya) to irrigate Soviet-era cotton fields.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the voices of the guys who normally can’t shut up about the sanctity of free markets and limited government, have gone quiet.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
-
My mother was like, Savannah, shut up.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Then, after Austin Jackson sustained his season-ending knee injury in early November in Miami’s loss to the Bills , the Dolphins run game clammed up.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
29 July 2025
-
Although that doesn’t account for those opposite behaviors (e.g., clamming up).—
Caleb Harris,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
The top itself is an eight-layer cloth construction that satisfyingly hushes the cabin when raised.—
Brett Berk,
Robb Report,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In her first solo, Dayhuff hushed her sound over the course of the solo; the others onstage followed her.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belt up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belt%20up. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share