belly

[ bel-ee ]

/ ˈbɛl i /

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See synonyms for: belly / bellied / bellying on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural bel·lies.

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), bel·lied, bel·ly·ing.

to fill out; swell: Wind bellied the sails.

verb (used without object), bel·lied, bel·ly·ing.

to swell out: Sails bellying in the wind.

to crawl on one's belly: soldiers bellying through a rice paddy.

Verb Phrases

belly up, Informal.

to approach closely, especially until one is in physical contact: to belly up to a bar.
to curry favor from: Would you have gotten the promotion if you hadn't bellied up to the boss?

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Idioms about belly

go / turn belly up, Informal. to come to an end; die; fail: After years of barely surviving on donations, the neighborhood social club finally went belly up.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM belly

bel·ly·like, adjective

Words nearby belly

bell the cat, who will, bell-topper, bellwether, Bellwood, bellwort, belly, bellyache, bellyband, bellyboard, belly bust, bellybutton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use belly in a sentence

This tube comes with two tow points, which means you can sit back and relax as your boat pulls from your feet or go for a more adventurous ride by lying on your belly and holding onto the chariot.
The best boating tubes|PopSci Commerce Team|September 3, 2020|Popular-Science
Otherwise we ought to crawl on our bellies, hold fast to anything different from ourselves—as positive adheres to negative—and never clean our rooms.
Just Because It’s Natural Doesn’t Mean It’s Good - Issue 89: The Dark Side|David P. Barash|August 19, 2020|Nautilus
The authors first honed in on an acupoint called ST25 near the belly region.
We Need New, Safer Ways to Treat Pain. Could Electroacupuncture Be One?|Shelly Fan|August 18, 2020|Singularity Hub
In its belly, scientists found mostly fern leaves along with small amounts of palmlike cycads and conifer needles.
Fossil stomach reveals a dinosaur’s last meal|Carolyn Wilke|July 7, 2020|Science News For Students

The vehicle spun its two front wheels to shove under its belly the seeds that had been ahead of it.
Wiggly wheels might help rovers plow through loose lunar soils|Maria Temming|June 26, 2020|Science News For Students
She attends hip-hop and belly dance classes (known as Arabic dance in Iran) just to shine more at parties.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He holds them on his belly and looks at them with a magnifying glass, studying possible escape routes.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Previously they were general contractors until the economy went belly up in 2008.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The gosling's best chance at surviving the jump is to bounce off the cliff on its soft belly.
Barnacle Gosling’s Death-Defying Cliff Dive|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All you could see was the area from her belly button to her knees.
Will the Vatican Finally Hold This Kansas City Bishop Accountable?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is a companion who condoleth with his friend for his belly's sake, and he will take up a shield against the enemy.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
In the beautiful modelled violin this is provided for in the rise of the back and belly.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce
Delancy caught it with one arm and a belly and passed it back through the door to Squid Murphy who was standing just outside.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The bridge should be fitted as accurately as the post, and as though it grew from the belly, the feet touching equally all round.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce
No hard feelings, chiseler, but I sure would like to put a couple of slugs in your belly!
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for belly

belly

/ (ˈbɛlɪ) /

noun plural -lies

the lower or front part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the intestines and other abdominal organs; abdomenRelated adjective: ventral

the stomach, esp when regarded as the seat of gluttony

a part, line, or structure that bulges deeplythe belly of a sail

the inside or interior cavity of somethingthe 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

Australian and NZ 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

go belly up informal to die, fail, or come to an end

verb -lies, -lying or -lied

to swell out or cause to swell out; bulge

Word Origin for belly

Old English belig; related to Old High German balg, Old Irish bolg sack, Sanskrit barhi chaff

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with belly

belly

see go belly up.

belly

Idioms about belly

Origin of belly

OTHER WORDS FROM belly

Words nearby belly

Words related to belly

How to use belly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for belly

Word Origin for belly

Other Idioms and Phrases with belly