belly

American  

[bel-ee] / ˈbɛl i /

noun

plural

bellies

1. the front or under part of a vertebrate body from the breastbone to the pelvis, containing the abdominal viscera; the abdomen.

2. the stomach with its adjuncts.

3. appetite or capacity for food; gluttony.

4. the womb.

5. the inside or interior of anything.

   the belly of a ship.

6. a protuberant or bulging surface of anything.

   the belly of a flask.

7. Anatomy. the fleshy part of a muscle.

8. the front, inner, or under surface or part, as distinguished from the back.

9. the front surface of a violin or similar instrument.

10. a bulge on a vertical surface of fresh concrete.

11. the underpart of the fuselage of an airplane.

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verb (used with object)

bellied, bellying

1. to fill out; swell.

   Wind bellied the sails.

verb (used without object)

bellied, bellying

1. to swell out.

   Sails bellying in the wind.

2. to crawl on one's belly.

   soldiers bellying through a rice paddy.

verb phrase

1. belly up

   1. to approach closely, especially until one is in physical contact.

      to belly up to a bar.

   2. to curry favor from.

      Would you have gotten the promotion if you hadn't bellied up to the boss?

idioms

1. go / turn belly up, to come to an end; die; fail.

   After years of barely surviving on donations, the neighborhood social club finally went belly up.

belly British  

/ ˈbɛlɪ /

noun

1. the lower or front part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the intestines and other abdominal organs; abdomen

2. the stomach, esp when regarded as the seat of gluttony

3. a part, line, or structure that bulges deeply

   the belly of a sail

4. the inside or interior cavity of something

   the belly of a ship

5. the front or inner part or underside of something

6. the surface of a stringed musical instrument over which the strings are stretched

7. the thick central part of certain muscles

8. the wool from a sheep's belly

9. tanning the portion of a hide or skin on the underpart of an animal

10. archery the surface of the bow next to the bowstring

11. archaic the womb

12. informal to die, fail, or come to an end

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verb

1. to swell out or cause to swell out; bulge

belly More Idioms  

1. see go belly up.

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Other Word Forms

• bellylike
  adjective

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

In an interview with Belly of the Beast, a Cuba-focused website, Jayapal described visiting a maternity hospital where they saw premature babies in incubators.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

There’s an independent journalist platform called Belly of the Beast.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Steve told his son it was a Lead Belly song; his son didn’t believe him, they listened to Lead Belly together, and it ended up being a key moment of Justin’s musical awakening.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

In Fairfax, nestled on Beverly Boulevard near Pan Pacific Park, I ran a modest yet beloved pan-Asian restaurant called Buddha’s Belly.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

On a rocky mountain pass, on the southernmost slopes of Mount Belly, the witch-queen reined in her goat-drawn chariot and stopped and sniffed the chilly air.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• abdomen
• gut
• insides
• pelvis
• tank
• tummy