ceinture
/sɛ̃.tyʁ/feminine
The English word "belt" is ceinture in French.
ceinture refers to a band worn around the waist. If you are specifically referring to a seat belt, use the term ceinture de sécurité.
Meaning: band worn around the waist (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In French Canadian French, the term ceinturon is more characteristic for "belt".
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ceinture is feminine, so you must use feminine articles like la or une.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɛ̃.tyʁ/. The word has two syllables.
Did you know?
- French uses ceinture to describe the 'belt' of a city, known as ceinture périphérique, which refers to the ring road circling Paris.
- The phrase serrer la ceinture literally means 'to tighten the belt' and is the standard French idiom for spending less money during hard times.
- The word ceinture shares its roots with the English word 'cinch', both coming from the Latin 'cinctura'.
Examples in context
- Où est ma ceinture ?Where is my belt?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of your ceinture.Tatoeba #6842990 by felix63, translation #6842994 by Eccles17
- Tom retira sa ceinture.Tom took off his belt.This sentence is useful for describing someone taking off their ceinture.Tatoeba #5419912 by Aiji, translation #3515055 by CK
- Il déboucla sa ceinture.He unbuckled his belt.This sentence is useful for describing someone unbuckling their ceinture.Tatoeba #1992341 by sacredceltic, translation #1992000 by Spamster
- Je porte une ceinture avec mon costume.I am wearing a belt with my suit.
- Pouvez-vous me montrer les nouvelles ceintures de la saison ?Can you show me the new belts of the season?
- Elle a choisi une ceinture en cuir noir pour son mari.She chose a black leather belt for her husband.
- Mon oncle collectionne les ceinturons vintage.My uncle collects vintage military belts.
- 78 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are getting ready for a party.
- LéaGabriel, as-tu vu ma ceinture noire ?Gabriel, have you seen my black belt?
- GabrielOui, elle est sur la chaise.Yes, it is on the chair.
- LéaMerci, cette ceinture va très bien avec ce pantalon.Thanks, this belt goes very well with these pants.
- GabrielC'est vrai, ça te va très bien.That's true, it looks very good on you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “belt” translations and entries ceinture, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ceinture, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
