belly

American  

[bel-ee] / ˈbɛl i /

noun

bellies plural

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)

bellies, present (3rd person singular) bellied, past participle, past bellying present participle

1. to fill out; swell.

   Wind bellied the sails.

verb (used without object)

bellies, present (3rd person singular) bellied, past participle, past bellying present participle

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

Derived Forms

• bellylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bellies
  plural

Participles

• bellying
  present
• bellied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• belly
  simple
• bellies
  simple
• have bellied
  perfect
• has bellied
  perfect
• am bellying
  progressive
• are bellying
  progressive
• is bellying
  progressive
• have been bellying
  perfect progressive
• has been bellying
  perfect progressive

Past

• bellied
  simple
• had bellied
  perfect
• was bellying
  progressive
• were bellying
  progressive
• had been bellying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will belly
  simple
• will have bellied
  perfect
• will be bellying
  progressive
• will have been bellying
  perfect progressive

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

“I know what it’s like to be the kid whose belly is full thanks to food stamps,” he said.

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026

Although semaglutide is widely used, a key issue with the drug is that it needs to be injected into the belly, thighs or back of the arm.

From Science Daily • Jul. 8, 2026

But those who bought them at high prices had to suffer as their value went belly up, part of a wider crash in crypto.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

In person, Huang subdues his ironic braggadocio with polite eye contact and rolling belly laughs at his own jokes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

Oswald stepped close to me, his belly pressed against Archie’s basket and the nests.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

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