tummy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tummy
First recorded in 1865–70; nursery alteration of stomach
Explanation
Tummy is an informal shorthand for stomach. This word is mainly used for talking to little kids: "Aw, do you have a tummy ache?" You wouldn't use the word tummy in your human anatomy class, but you might use it when you babysit your two-year-old niece. Infants sometimes have "tummy time," a short period when they are turned onto their stomachs so they can develop their neck and shoulder muscles. Tummy has been in use since the 19th century, and experts guess that it comes from a childish pronunciation of stomach.
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.
"Besides having a massively full tummy, he didn't move around or try to slip into the river despite the noise of the drones and the chopper," he told News24.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
The medical term for my ailment is an asymmetrical gluteal cleft, though requests to fix it are far less common than those to eliminate cellulite, flatten the tummy, or augment the breasts.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026
"My favourite book makes my tummy funny, because I laugh," she says.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025
“They do know when someone someone’s ill, right?” he said to no one before scratching Penny’s tummy and cooing, “You know I’m ill, right? I’m ill!”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025
She’s wearing a two-piece gown with just a hint of tummy showing, and her hair is pinned up and braided.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
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.
