stomach
Americannoun
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Anatomy, Zoology.
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a saclike enlargement of the alimentary canal, as in humans and certain animals, forming an organ for storing, diluting, and digesting food.
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such an organ or an analogous portion of the alimentary canal when divided into two or more sections or parts.
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any one of these sections.
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Zoology. any analogous digestive cavity or tract in invertebrates.
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the part of the body containing the stomach; belly or abdomen.
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appetite for food.
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desire, inclination, or liking.
I have no stomach for this trip.
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Obsolete.
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spirit; courage.
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pride; haughtiness.
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resentment; anger.
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verb (used with object)
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to endure or tolerate (someone or something).
I can't stomach your constant nagging.
- Synonyms:
- countenance, abide, stand, bear
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Obsolete. to be offended at or resent.
noun
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(in vertebrates) the enlarged muscular saclike part of the alimentary canal in which food is stored until it has been partially digested and rendered into chyme
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the corresponding digestive organ in invertebrates
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the abdominal region
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desire, appetite, or inclination
I have no stomach for arguments
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an archaic word for temper
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an obsolete word for pride
verb
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to tolerate; bear
I can't stomach his bragging
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to eat or digest
he cannot stomach oysters
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has stomachedperfect 3rd person singular
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have stomachedperfect
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has been stomachingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is stomachingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are stomachingprogressive
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have been stomachingperfect progressive
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stomachssingular 3rd person
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am stomachingprogressive 1st person singular
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stomachingparticiple
Past
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had stomachedperfect
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was stomachingprogressive singular
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were stomachingprogressive plural
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had been stomachingperfect progressive
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stomachedsimple
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stomachedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of stomach
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English stomak, from Latin stomachus “gullet, stomach,” from Greek stómachos originally, “opening”; akin to stoma
Explanation
The stomach is the organ of your body — kind of a big sac — that digests food. We also say people have a stomach for something unpleasant when they can handle it. Without a stomach, you'd be in trouble: that's where your food gets digested and turned into useful material your body can use for energy. If you ever got punched in the stomach or had a stomach ache, it can hurt a lot. Also, stomach can mean having a hunger, or at least tolerance, for something. If you can't stomach watching football, then you can't stand watching it. If you have a stomach for something, you can swallow it.
Vocabulary lists containing stomach
Nutrition and Digestion - Introductory
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Nutrition and Digestion - High School
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Nutrition and Digestion - Middle School
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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.
B12 deficiency becomes more common with age, partly because the stomach may produce less acid, which is needed to release B12 from food.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
Filipino women have a higher incidence of thyroid cancer, and stomach cancer has been more common among some Korean and Japanese people.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
It seems like common sense that volatile stocks do better over time as long as you can stomach the turbulence—no risk, no reward.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
The chemical has been linked to prostate cancer -- the rate of which in Martinique and Guadeloupe is among the highest in the world -- as well as stomach and pancreatic cancer.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
The slush in my stomach melts away at his teasing tone.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
