belt line
Americannoun
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a transportation system partially or wholly surrounding a city, terminal, district, or port.
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(in automotive styling) a horizontal boundary dividing the upper and lower parts of a car body, either an actual line of trim or an imaginary line that follows contours of the body.
Etymology
Origin of belt line
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Newsom also juxtaposed a clip of Hegseth’s speech with a photo of Trump in a McDonald’s restaurant, the president’s stomach protruding over the belt line of his slacks.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025
The shot appeared to land on the belt line and left Usyk wincing in pain on the canvas.
From BBC • Aug. 27, 2023
He taught me how to style a portrait, like how to tuck the shirt in so it was super-tight and wasn’t leaving any creases around the belt line.
From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2021
Since Christian Bale appears to be on a similar plane to the highest point of the roofline, the car should have come up to around about his belt line.
From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2020
His waistline had grown slightly over the years; his suspenders now pulled his pants above his belt line.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
