belly

1 of 2

noun

bel·​ly ˈbe-lē How to pronounce belly (audio)
plural bellies
1
b
: the stomach and its adjuncts
c
: the undersurface of an animal's body
also : hide from this part
d
2
a
: an internal cavity : interior
b
: a central place where something is most prevalent, concentrated, or deeply ingrained
… he became the hottest songwriter in Nashville, an antiauthoritarian smack-dab in the belly of the establishment.Tony Scherman
often used in the phrase the belly of the beast to refer especially to a dangerous or hostile place or situation
Meanwhile, the very best bodies of America are in prison, pumping iron in the belly of the beast.Robert Lipsyte
3
: appetite for food
4
: a surface or object curved or rounded like a human belly
5
a
: the enlarged fleshy body of a muscle
b
: the part of a sail that swells out when filled with wind
6

belly

2 of 2

verb

bellied; bellying

transitive verb

: to cause to swell or fill out
wind bellying the sails

intransitive verb

1
: swell, fill
2
a
: to slide or crawl on one's belly

Examples of belly in a Sentence

Noun He got down on his belly to crawl. They slid down the snowy hill on their bellies. a gray squirrel with a white belly the belly of an airplane the belly of a ship Verb the sails slowly bellied as the wind picked up recruits were forced to belly over the obstacle course under simulated enemy fire
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
After taking the stage for an event, Ashanti stood up to show off her belly, which was prominently displayed in her figure-hugging royal blue dress with a caped sleeve. Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024 But Take Note The Play-Doh can be hard to remove from the dino's belly. Ashley Ziegler, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for belly 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'belly.' 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

Noun

Middle English bely bellows, belly, from Old English belg bag, skin; akin to Old High German balg bag, skin, Old English blāwan to blow — more at blow entry 1

Verb

verbal derivative of belly entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1606, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of belly was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near belly

Cite this Entry

“Belly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly. Accessed 4 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

belly

1 of 2 noun
bel·​ly ˈbel-ē How to pronounce belly (audio)
plural bellies
1
b
: the undersurface of an animal's body
also : hide from this part
2
: an internal cavity : interior
3
: a curved or rounded surface or object
the belly of an airplane

belly

2 of 2 verb
bellied; bellying
: to swell or bulge out

Medical Definition

belly

noun
bel·​ly ˈbel-ē How to pronounce belly (audio)
plural bellies
1
b
: the undersurface of an animal's body
c
d
: the stomach and its adjuncts
2
: the enlarged fleshy body of a muscle

More from Merriam-Webster on belly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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