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

Example Sentences

"When I was on the phone to 999, I saw her belly was moving so I knew she was breathing."

From BBC

There were flashpoints at Lord's and Old Trafford, and Stokes' men looked a better side with fire in their bellies.

From BBC

Clare said she was kicking herself for not seeing a doctor sooner as she had symptoms for a long time but "put it down to having a dodgy belly".

From BBC

Bonds like theirs develop week in week out at airport lounges around the world as business travelers belly up to the bar at the start and/or end of a work trip.

From The Wall Street Journal

One of the behind-the-scenes details of that was Hasselbeck winced in pain every time he used his left hand to put the football in Lynch’s belly.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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