bellyache
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bellyachesimple
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bellyachessimple
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have bellyachedperfect
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has bellyachedperfect
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am bellyachingprogressive
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are bellyachingprogressive
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is bellyachingprogressive
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have been bellyachingperfect progressive
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has been bellyachingperfect progressive
Past
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bellyachedsimple
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had bellyachedperfect
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was bellyachingprogressive
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were bellyachingprogressive
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had been bellyachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bellyache
belly + ache; bellyache def. 1 was first recorded in 1545–55, and bellyache def. 2, an Americanism, in 1885–90
Explanation
A pain in your stomach is a bellyache. Don't eat too much cotton candy at the fair, or you'll definitely get a bellyache! You might also refer to a bellyache as a tummy ache or an upset stomach. Whatever you call it, it's no fun, and it might even cause you to lie in bed and moan a little. As a verb, bellyache means "complain" or "whine." If your brother insists on taking part in a hotdog eating contest, you might be stuck listening to him bellyache about his bellyache later.
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:
To be fair, backbenchers, and even politicians in government, love to bellyache.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024
He showed up even though he didn't have to, and raced towards the cameras so he could bellyache at length about the proceedings.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2023
You get a bellyache, or worse, in part because processed foods and high fructose corn syrup alter the composition of bacteria in our gut, decreasing the influence of “good” bacteria and increasing “bad” bacteria.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 8, 2023
Almost inevitably, when corporate managements bellyache about short selling, their shares are under pressure for fundamental reasons, such as management ineptitude or dishonesty.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2023
“And tell her to keep some Vernor’s Ginger Soda in the house. Tell her to warm it and put a little lemon in it if you get a bellyache, okay?”
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
“The world is not ready to hold women accountable for their complicity, even the ones in power,” Mitch bellyaches to Alex in “The Morning Show” after he is exposed.
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2019
The odd configurations created by realignment are familiar to anyone who has heard college football fans’ bellyaches.
From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2018
“How my intestines are undulating,” he bellyaches with operatic formality.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2015
Pills 'n' thrills and bellyaches: Rooney Mara stars in Steven Soderbegh's big-pharma thriller Side Effects.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 2, 2013
Hayrides, all-day suckers, caterpillars in matchboxes, unripe pears, bellyaches and bellyaching, make half the Kaye-Smith children's fun.
From Time Magazine Archive
At a time when the going rate for pho was $7 and cheaper around the Chinatown International District, some customers bellyached that $10 pho was price gouging, or the yuppification of Vietnamese food.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
We bellyached and we grouched, but really, we did nothing.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2024
Whereas Michael Myers paced calmly in a silly jumpsuit, Lewis bellyached in moody black outfits.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
At one point, he even bellyached, "I'm a victim. I will tell you. I'm a victim."
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2022
Louie dragged his feet, bellyached, and quit at the first sign of fatigue.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
And instead of bellyaching about the radical changes to the sport, Cignetti became the old dog learning new tricks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
But Specktor is trying to do something subtler and more slippery than cataloging boldfaced names and bellyaching about how commerce has strangled art.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2025
But most of my American friends that watch football are Arsenal fans and I am tired of them bellyaching about being third or whatever.
From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2023
Dahlia Lithwick: You and I have done an immense amount of aggregated bellyaching about the fake facts of 303 Creative v.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2023
Cal’s bellyaching was not a welcome sequel to the morning with Naomi.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
