Meaning & use
green belt
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
An area of countryside around a town or city, protected by law from building so that open land is preserved.
Grammar: Often capitalized in British planning: the London Green Belt.
Patterns
- build on the green belt
- green belt land
The council refused permission to build houses on the green belt.
The green belt keeps the city from spreading into the villages.
Many walkers enjoy the footpaths in the green belt around the town.
nouncountablesport
A rank in judo, karate and similar martial arts, shown by a green belt, usually higher than beginner.
Grammar: Can mean the belt or the person: she is a green belt.
Patterns
- earn a green belt
- be a green belt
She earned her green belt after a tough grading.
My brother is a green belt in karate.
The class is for green belts and above.
nouncountablebusiness
A mid-level qualification in the Six Sigma method for improving business processes.
Grammar: Used in business: Six Sigma green belt.
Patterns
- Six Sigma green belt
He took a course to become a Six Sigma green belt.
Green belts lead small improvement projects within their teams.
The manager asked for a green belt to review the process.
Word forms
| plural | green belts |
|---|
Common combinations
- protected green belt
- The protected green belt surrounds the city.
- green belt land
- Developers want to build on green belt land.
- green belt policy
- The party promised to keep the green belt policy.
- earn a green belt
- He worked hard to earn a green belt in judo.
- Six Sigma green belt
- She holds a Six Sigma green belt.
- green belt around a city
- A green belt around a city limits sprawl.
Synonyms and how they differ
- greenbelt
- Greenbelt is a one-word spelling of the planning meaning, found especially in North America.
- open space
- Open space is a broader planning term that need not be a protected ring around a city.
- buffer zone
- A buffer zone separates two areas for any purpose, while a green belt is specifically countryside kept free of building.
Opposites
Word family
- belt noun
- a band worn around the waist or a ring-shaped zone
- green adjective
- covered with plants or friendly to the environment
- black belt noun
- a high rank in martial arts
- greenfield adjective
- describing land never built on
Commonly confused: green belt or brownfield?
green belt vs brownfield
Brownfield describes land that has been built on before, and it is the opposite of greenfield land.
Practice
Local residents protested because the developer wanted to build on the ____ around the town.
Choose one answer.
The green belt is protected countryside around a town. The other terms do not name this planning idea.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “green belt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.