bellyache
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
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bellyaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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bellyached,
past participle, past
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bellyaching
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
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
-
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
Swallow a snake, jump in the lake, come back home with a bellyache.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
“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
Dr. Mohr cited the case history of a nine-year-old boy who complained of bellyaches after meals.
From Time Magazine Archive
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
Reddick made the surprise jump — his current Richard Childress Racing team bellyached it’s an ill-timed one — to join Denny Hamlin and Jordan’s 22XI Racing in 2024.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 16, 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
Adam Wren of Politico also wrote on Saturday about Vance's relentless bellyaching.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2024
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
“Quit with your bellyaching, child. I’ve got fish to clean and fry. You want my job?”
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
