as in to quiet (down)
to stop talking
the schoolboy ordered his mates to belt up about the prank
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
The problem started with the pandemic; although road traffic dried up, the death rate leapt by 20 percent.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2025
-
This can be risky because if that source dries up, the business could struggle.—
Adam Fineberg,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The love that once dared not speak its name now can’t shut up.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2025
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It is put up or shut up time for the UCLA men’s basketball team.—
Jim Alexander,
Orange County Register,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
12 Dec. 2024
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While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The magazine saw itself as literary but not self-serious; if the stereotypical National Geographic story was a walk through the jungle recounted in hushed, awed tones, its Outside equivalent was a little dustier, wilder, and less reverent.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
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In his nearly 30-minute remarks, the 82-year-old often sounded hushed, with several distinct outbursts in defense of Social Security and its recipients.—
Isabella Murray,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belt up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belt%20up. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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