paunch
Americannoun
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a large and protruding belly; potbelly.
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the belly or abdomen.
-
the rumen.
noun
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the belly or abdomen, esp when protruding
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another name for rumen
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nautical a thick mat that prevents chafing
verb
Other Word Forms
- paunched adjective
Etymology
Origin of paunch
1325–75; Middle English paunche < Anglo-French, for Middle French pance < Latin panticēs (plural) bowels
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.
A few of them had graying hair, some were going bald, and I spied a paunch or two.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Charlotte insists there's a paunch, but nobody else sees it.
From Salon • Aug. 6, 2023
The extra paunch would also have helped these penguins stay warm in the water.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2023
Eddy is the twice-divorced PR queen with the paunch: “People, places, concepts—I PR them. I make the fabulous fabulous, I make the crap credible.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2022
His ribs were visible through his skin as he breathed, and yet he was beginning to develop a paunch.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
