paunch
Americannoun
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a large and protruding belly; potbelly.
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the belly or abdomen.
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the rumen.
noun
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the belly or abdomen, esp when protruding
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another name for rumen
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nautical a thick mat that prevents chafing
verb
Other Word Forms
- paunched adjective
Etymology
Origin of paunch
1325–75; Middle English paunche < Anglo-French, for Middle French pance < Latin panticēs (plural) bowels
Explanation
A paunch is a fat stomach. You might suck in your stomach and tighten your belt to hide your paunch. You might worry that if you accept your dream job as a cupcake taster, you might develop a paunch — or maybe you don't care too much about that, figuring you'll just buy new pants if you need to. While today a paunch is specifically a chubby or protruding belly, it once meant simply "stomach," from the Latin panticem, "belly," and it may be related to panus, or "swelling."
Vocabulary lists containing paunch
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.
A few of them had graying hair, some were going bald, and I spied a paunch or two.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Charlotte insists there's a paunch, but nobody else sees it.
From Salon • Aug. 6, 2023
Eddy is the twice-divorced PR queen with the paunch: “People, places, concepts—I PR them. I make the fabulous fabulous, I make the crap credible.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2022
“He’s moving,” David tells Maggie, handling his middle-aged paunch like a baby bump.
From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2022
He leaned forward, his paunch disappearing in his shadow.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
