6 → see also Bible Belt , commuter belt , green belt
7 VERB If someone belts you, they hit you very hard. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] 'Is it right she belted old George in the gut?' she asked. ● N‑COUNT Belt is also a noun. □ Father would give you a belt over the head with the scrubbing brush.
8 VERB If you belt somewhere, you move or travel there very fast. [INFORMAL ] □ [V prep/adv] We belted down Iveagh Parade to where the motor was.
9 → see also belted
10 PHRASE Something that is below the belt is cruel and unfair. □ Do you think it's a bit below the belt what they're doing? □ …this kind of below-the-belt discrimination.
11 PHRASE If you have to tighten your belt , you have to spend less money and manage without things because you have less money than you used to have. □ Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt.
12 PHRASE If you have something under your belt , you have already achieved it or done it. □ Clare is now a full-time author with six books, including four novels, under her belt.
▸ belt out PHRASAL VERB If you belt out a song, you sing or play it very loudly. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P n] We shouldn't have opera singers belting out the national anthem before England matches. [Also V n P ]
belt|ed /be lt I d/ ADJ If someone's jacket or coat, for example, is belted , it has a belt fastened round it. □ She wore a brown suede jacket, belted at the waist.
be lt-tightening N‑UNCOUNT If you need to do some belt-tightening , you must spend less money and manage without things because you have less money than you used to have. □ This will cause further belt-tightening in the public services.
belt|way /be ltwe I / (beltways ) N‑COUNT A beltway is a road that goes around a city or town, to keep traffic away from the centre. [AM ] in BRIT, use ring road
be|moan /b I moʊ n/ (bemoans , bemoaning , bemoaned ) VERB If you bemoan something, you express sorrow or dissatisfaction about it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Universities and other research establishments bemoan their lack of funds.
be|muse /b I mjuː z/ (bemuses , bemusing , bemused ) VERB If something bemuses you, it puzzles or confuses you. □ [V n] The sheer quantity of detail would bemuse even the most clear-headed author.
be|mused /b I mjuː zd/ ADJ If you are bemused , you are puzzled or confused. □ He was rather bemused by children. □ Mr. Sebastian was looking at the boys with a bemused expression. ● be|mus|ed|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ He was staring bemusedly at the picture of himself.
be|muse|ment /b I mjuː zmənt/ N‑UNCOUNT Bemusement is the feeling that you have when you are puzzled or confused by something. □ A look of bemusement spread across their faces.
bench ◆◇◇ /be ntʃ/ (benches )
1 N‑COUNT A bench is a long seat of wood or metal that two or more people can sit on. □ He sat down on a park bench.
2 N‑COUNT A bench is a long, narrow table in a factory or laboratory. □ …the laboratory bench.
3 N‑PLURAL In parliament, different groups sit on different benches . For example, the government sits on the government benches . [BRIT ] □ …the opposition benches.
4 → see also backbench , backbencher , backbenches , front bench
5 N‑SING [with sing or pl verb] In a court of law, the bench is the judge or magistrates. □ The chairman of the bench adjourned the case until October 27.
bench|mark /be ntʃmɑː r k/ (benchmarks ) also bench mark N‑COUNT [usu sing] A benchmark is something whose quality or quantity is known and which can therefore be used as a standard with which other things can be compared. □ [+ for ] The truck industry is a benchmark for the economy.
bench|mark|ing /be ntʃmɑː r k I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT In business, benchmarking is a process in which a company compares its products and methods with those of the most successful companies in its field, in order to try to improve its own performance. [BUSINESS ]
bend ◆◇◇ /be nd/ (bends , bending , bent )
1 VERB When you bend , you move the top part of your body downwards and forwards. Plants and trees also bend . □ [V adv/prep] I bent over and kissed her cheek. □ [V ] She bent and picked up a plastic bucket. □ [V -ed] She was bent over the sink washing the dishes.
2 VERB When you bend your head, you move your head forwards and downwards. □ [V n] Rick appeared, bending his head a little to clear the top of the door.
3 VERB When you bend a part of your body such as your arm or leg, or when it bends , you change its position so that it is no longer straight. □ [V n] These cruel devices are designed to stop prisoners bending their legs. □ [V ] As you walk faster, you will find the arms bend naturally and more quickly. ● bent ADJ □ Keep your knees slightly bent.
4 VERB If you bend something that is flat or straight, you use force to make it curved or to put an angle in it. □ [V n prep] Bend the bar into a horseshoe. □ [V n] She'd cut a jagged hole in the tin, bending a knife in the process. ● bent ADJ □ …a length of bent wire.
5 VERB When a road, beam of light, or other long thin thing bends , or when something bends it, it changes direction to form a curve or angle. □ [V ] The road bent slightly to the right. □ [V n] Glass bends light of different colours by different amounts.