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

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

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

Noun

But when the duo reached the top, the ice was mostly melted, and the pair were able to save time climbing the peak with a running belay, not stopping to pitch out sections. —Corbin Reiff, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024

These jumps use a belay system to simulate a brief free-fall experience before slowly lowering participants to the ground. —Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 9 July 2024

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

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