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belly up

verb

Definition of belly upnext
as in to close
to come near or nearer belly up to the buffet table and help yourselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belly up Try polka lessons, dress in your dirndl for the costume contests, or belly up to the bar for a shotski world record attempt. — Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Midwest Living, 1 Sep. 2026 Topline Google agreed to pay $10 million for an enormous trove of business data from bankrupt Spirit Airlines—raising questions about what happens to privacy after a company goes belly up and AI swoops in. — Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 And then, suddenly, a male orca soared into view, belly up, and smashed his head into the dead fish. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026 Snorkel with turtles in the Tobago Cays; relax on Canouan’s Godahl Beach; or belly up to Basil’s Bar on Mustique. — Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026 Dominick’s, a nearly century-old company that once had some 70-plus outlets across Chicagoland, went belly up at the end of 2013 as competition from independents and chains took its toll. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 The new place has a bar to belly up to, a beat-up car for families and kids to play in and pose for the 'Gram and TikTok, and colorful neon signs. — Charlie D'agata, CBS News, 10 June 2026 The store went belly up in a few short years as the Great Depression hit. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026 The private patio space off of the living room bellies up to the beach, where two sunbeds and an umbrella are set up for sunset happy hours. — Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly up
  1. close
  2. approach
  3. draw on
  4. come
  5. near
  6. come up
Verb
  • Connected information can help close that gap by allowing organizations to identify patterns and engage customers before an issue becomes a larger business problem.
    — Suresh Rajapakse, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The account the VanDoeselaars wired the money to has since closed, the couple said.
    — Emily Elconin for CNN, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of close
Verb
  • Sam Jochim, economist at EFG International, said rates could rise roughly once every three months as underlying inflation approaches 2%.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
  • An Associated Press reporter who approached the main building was told by a security guard that it was closed.
    — MATTHEW DALY, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of approach
Verb
  • Their evaluation also draws on performance metrics from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) and objectives set by DOE programs.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Lisa Robertson’s Riverwork draws on all these influences, and many more, to evoke overlapping Parises that chime with one another like a ghostly carillon.
    — Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of draw on
Verb
  • Politicians pause mid-sentence, scanning the room for applause lines that will guide what comes next.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The award determined by audience ballot comes with a $10,000 cash prize.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of come
Verb
  • Banda qualifies for the NWSL’s new High Impact Player rule, which allows teams to exceed the salary cap for elite players, and probably attracted interest from clubs around the league as her contract neared its expiration next year.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • His lead trial attorney, Edward Bilinkas, a dapper New Jersey man then nearing seventy, had the courtroom delivery of a schoolteacher trying to hush nonsense at the back of the class by raising his own voice.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of near
Verb
  • Jo Adell and Bazzana hit back-to-back homers in the first inning for the Guardians, who couldn't capitalize on their early 3-0 lead and fell behind before coming up with a victory that kept their division title hopes alive.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Two years ago, quantum technology and AI came up in separate meetings, on separate slides, championed by different people in the room.
    — Dax Grant, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of come up

Browse Nearby Words

belly laughs
belly up
belong
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belly up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20up. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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