bellied up; bellying up; bellies up
: 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
Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 24 June 2025
Images of the wreckage that showed the plane lying belly-up went viral.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 21 Feb. 2025
The plane was found belly-up in three pieces, and all 64 people aboard were killed, officials said Thursday.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025
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
Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 May 2025
George Wendt, who bellied up to the bar to portray the beer-quaffing everyman Norm Peterson for all 11 seasons of the fabled NBC sitcom Cheers, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
But one of the best ways to try the local tipples remains bellying up where they’re made.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2025
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, 7 May 2025
Before Barneys New York went belly up in 2019, what aspiring designer didn’t dream about getting their clothes inside its hallowed marble corridors?
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 20 May 2025
In October 2007, Ben Ammar bought indie distributor Eagle Pictures, which had gone belly up.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 6 May 2025
Lara’s also detailed how insurance companies are assessed if the FAIR Plan goes belly up.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 21 Mar. 2025
Hooters filed for bankruptcy this week, the latest casual dining chain to go belly up.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
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.
Adjective
At the Boise Towne Square mall, about a quarter of a mile from the Kal Pacific properties that are facing foreclosure, another project also appears to be belly-up.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 24 June 2025
Images of the wreckage that showed the plane lying belly-up went viral.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 21 Feb. 2025
The plane was found belly-up in three pieces, and all 64 people aboard were killed, officials said Thursday.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025
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
Doing so might risk being sued by 401(k) investors in the future if their crypto investment goes belly up, Chao said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 May 2025
George Wendt, who bellied up to the bar to portray the beer-quaffing everyman Norm Peterson for all 11 seasons of the fabled NBC sitcom Cheers, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
But one of the best ways to try the local tipples remains bellying up where they’re made.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2025
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, 7 May 2025
Before Barneys New York went belly up in 2019, what aspiring designer didn’t dream about getting their clothes inside its hallowed marble corridors?
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 20 May 2025
In October 2007, Ben Ammar bought indie distributor Eagle Pictures, which had gone belly up.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 6 May 2025
Lara’s also detailed how insurance companies are assessed if the FAIR Plan goes belly up.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 21 Mar. 2025
Hooters filed for bankruptcy this week, the latest casual dining chain to go belly up.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belly-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly-up. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share