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
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Years ago, Eden earned anywhere from $500 to $1,500 a month from her songs getting slots on DSP editorial playlists; now, after the AI boom, that’s mostly dried up—Spotify’s lo-fi playlists spill with viral songs from suspicious profiles with no descriptions.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
2 July 2025
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When businesses can’t protect their merchandise, when families don’t feel safe using public transit and when tourists start skipping Chicago for other cities, tax revenues dry up.—
George Cardenas,
Chicago Tribune,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Desire speaks loudest when financial fear shuts up.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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The return of the Snack Wrap was just a ploy to get social media haters to shut up.—
David Wysong,
The Enquirer,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Although that doesn’t account for those opposite behaviors (e.g., clamming up).—
Caleb Harris,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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Trump had been more open to diplomacy near the beginning of Israel’s conflict with Iran, leaving his nuclear deal options open with them, but has since clammed up.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Inside the airy courtroom, hushed spectators, including Combs’ mother and six adult children, sat on wooden benches.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
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Ominous guitar accompanies hopeful strings; Chatten's vocals range from breathy, hushed tones to intense speak-singing.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belt up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belt%20up. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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