belly-up

1 of 2

adjective

bel·​ly-up ˈbe-lē-ˈəp How to pronounce belly-up (audio)
: hopelessly ruined or defeated
especially : bankrupt
the business went belly-up

belly up

2 of 2

verb

bellied up; bellying up; bellies up

intransitive verb

: to move close or next to
bellied up to the bar

Examples of belly-up in a Sentence

Verb belly up to the buffet table and help yourselves
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Usually, a belly-up fish isn’t long for this world. Elizabeth Anne Brown, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023 Small fish float belly-up alongside snakelike tubes of irrigation piping. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2023 BitcoinBuilder, Jones’s exchange, had a significant amount of funds tied up in Mt. Gox, once the world’s largest exchange and which went belly-up after hackers siphoned approximately $500 million from under its owner’s nose. Ben Weiss, Fortune Crypto, 11 Apr. 2023
Verb
By 1933, Paramount was on the verge of going belly up. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 But as Musk’s antics continued, Swisher’s own plans for Twitter went belly up. Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 The 0-4 record without Herbert — including the first Denver game — has raised the draft slot of a team that had already gone belly up. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2024 Ed’s Tavern 2200 Park Road. Kick back on the revamped patio out back or belly up to a table or the bar inside, somewhere near the old glowing hardware sign at this casual neighborhood hangout. Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 For a post-dinner classic cocktail, belly up to The Bar & Patio at Husk. Megan Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 18 Jan. 2024 This real-world Care Bear Stare was in full effect all night as those not participating in the entertainment portion of the evening were standing belly up to the stage cheering on their pals. Staff Author, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2023 Many quickly went belly up and sold to more successful neighbors, like ancestors of the Elmores, Abattis, Strahms, Saikhons, Taylors, Morgans, Schaffners, Grizzles, Brandts, LaBrucheries, Rueggers and Osterkamps, all among the top 20 families using Imperial water today. Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023 If everything went belly up tomorrow, most employees would bail quickly to find a reliable paycheck. Erik Huberman, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'belly-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from the floating position of a dead fish

First Known Use

Adjective

1918, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of belly-up was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near belly-up

Cite this Entry

“Belly-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly-up. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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