belly
Americannoun
-
bellies
plural
-
the front or under part of a vertebrate body from the breastbone to the pelvis, containing the abdominal viscera; the abdomen.
-
the stomach with its adjuncts.
-
appetite or capacity for food; gluttony.
-
the womb.
-
the inside or interior of anything.
the belly of a ship.
-
a protuberant or bulging surface of anything.
the belly of a flask.
-
Anatomy. the fleshy part of a muscle.
-
the front, inner, or under surface or part, as distinguished from the back.
-
the front surface of a violin or similar instrument.
-
a bulge on a vertical surface of fresh concrete.
-
the underpart of the fuselage of an airplane.
verb (used with object)
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bellies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bellied,
past participle, past
-
bellying
present participle
verb (used without object)
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bellies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bellied,
past participle, past
-
bellying
present participle
-
to swell out.
Sails bellying in the wind.
-
to crawl on one's belly.
soldiers bellying through a rice paddy.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
-
the lower or front part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the intestines and other abdominal organs; abdomen
-
the stomach, esp when regarded as the seat of gluttony
-
a part, line, or structure that bulges deeply
the belly of a sail
-
the inside or interior cavity of something
the belly of a ship
-
the front or inner part or underside of something
-
the surface of a stringed musical instrument over which the strings are stretched
-
the thick central part of certain muscles
-
the wool from a sheep's belly
-
tanning the portion of a hide or skin on the underpart of an animal
-
archery the surface of the bow next to the bowstring
-
archaic the womb
-
informal to die, fail, or come to an end
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bellysimple
-
belliessimple
-
have belliedperfect
-
has belliedperfect
-
am bellyingprogressive
-
are bellyingprogressive
-
is bellyingprogressive
-
have been bellyingperfect progressive
-
has been bellyingperfect progressive
Past
-
belliedsimple
-
had belliedperfect
-
was bellyingprogressive
-
were bellyingprogressive
-
had been bellyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of belly
before 950; Middle English bely, Old English belig, belg bag, skin; cognate with German Balg, Gothic balgs, Old Norse belgr sack; akin to Welsh bol ( a ), boly, Irish bolg sack, belly, bellows, Serbo-Croatian blàzina, Latvian pabàlsts, Avestan barəziš-, Persian bālish cushion
Explanation
Your belly is your stomach. If you have a belly ache, you have a pain in your abdomen. Santa Claus is famous for his jolly laugh and his large belly. The word belly is a more casual way to say "stomach" or "abdomen," just as your navel is informally called a "belly button." A less common way to use the word is as a verb meaning "to swell," which is actually the oldest meaning of belly, from the Old English belig, "bag," and a Germanic root meaning "to swell like a bag."
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.
See Examples For:
Even if this $350,000 represents 10% of your portfolio, that 10% could still have a meaningful impact if the investment goes belly up.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Although reducing visible belly fat may appeal to patients for cosmetic reasons, researchers emphasize that the potential medical benefits could be more important.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
On social media, influencers and fitness experts garner millions of views and likes on videos blaming cortisol for an array of concerns from belly fat to hair loss to “moon face.”
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
The final indignity: belly fat that rendered my favorite jeans unzippable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He came across them as they lay belly down on the ground, pounding their hands and feet against the earth and blaming each other for their misery.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
"They have big bellies, they can't run," a protester told reporters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
"This is the first evidence that our bellies expand with age due to the APCs' high output of new fat cells."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026
Most fruit travels in the bellies of passenger jets on routes flown by Emirates and Qatar Airways, competing with pharmaceuticals and electronics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
The teacher cued us onto our bellies for a backbend sequence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
We talked about gowns and shoes and flowers and hairstyles, and carved out of the emptiness a small mental space in which our closets and bellies were full and the road before us was straight.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
I checked in and bellied up to the hotel bar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
You can see some of the surprising new finds on the citizen science project Redmap, such as sightings of the tropical yellow bellied sea snake in Tasmanian waters.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2022
Bikers bellied up to bars and packed into rock shows.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2021
Bars bellied up to in Fort Wayne, Bloomington and Indianapolis relayed the same result — the game’s rarely on, no local’s ever raised an issue.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2017
He’d bellied up to the stove to warm himself after his first course.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
All you need to do — beyond bellying up to the never-ending breakfast bar — is be vigilant about the demon carbs and sugars that lurk everywhere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2021
My favorite San Francisco poet these days is August Kleinzahler, who often writes about bellying up to a bar.
From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2019
The days of bellying up to the counter, flashing your platinum card and demanding a suite are over.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 4, 2019
Overheard from a gaggle of White House reporters bellying up for glasses of cab: “I needed this — it’s been that kind of day.”
From Washington Post ● Jan. 10, 2019
With every sail spread and bellying taut, the Astrea moved sluggishly against the current.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
