belayed; belaying
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
3
a
: to secure (a person) at the end of a rope
belay a climber
… belaying each other over the difficult places.—
National Geographic
National Geographic
b
: to secure (a rope) to a person or object
1
: to be made fast
knowing where each rope belays on deck
3
: to make a line (see line entry 1 sense 1) fast by turns around a cleat, pin, or bitt
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
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
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
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
See all Example Sentences for belay 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
See all Example Sentences for belay
Dictionary Entries Near belay
Cite this Entry
“Belay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belay. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share