belly

1 of 2

noun

bel·​ly ˈbe-lē 

plural bellies

1

a

: abdomen sense 1a

tickling the toddler's belly

also : potbelly sense 1

had quite a belly on them

b

: the stomach and its adjuncts

ate till my belly was full

c

: the undersurface of an animal's body

also : hide from this part

d

: womb, uterus

felt the baby kicking in her belly

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

: gut sense 4

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

b

: belly-land

Synonyms of belly

Noun

• stomach
• hunger
• appetite
• starvation

Verb

• protrude
• poke
• bulge

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

When the heart’s right ventricle is failing, blood can back up into the legs and the belly, along with fluid overload and symptoms of right heart failure. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 26 June 2026

Brun’s niece sustained injuries during the shooting that were not life-threatening — a scratch on her belly, said Brun. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026

At 370 feet long with 80 crew members, the ship has a helicopter landing pad and hangar, two rib boats in the belly of the vessel, and heavy artillery, including a cannon. — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 25 June 2026

The cane toad is reddish-brown or grayish-brown in color with a light-yellow or beige belly. — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026

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

Phrases Containing belly

• beer belly
• belly band
• belly button
• belly dance
• belly flop
• belly-land
• belly laugh
• belly-up
• belly up to
• Delhi belly
• go belly-up
• pork belly

Rhymes for belly

• deli
• jelly
• kellie
• melly
• nellie
• nelly
• shelly
• skelly
• smellie
• smelly
• tele
• telly

Kids Definition

belly

1 of 2 noun

bel·​ly ˈbel-ē 

plural bellies

1

a

: abdomen sense 1

b

: the undersurface of an animal's body

also : hide from this part

c

: stomach entry 1 sense 1a

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 

plural bellies

1

a

: abdomen sense 1a

b

: the undersurface of an animal's body

c

: womb, uterus

d

: the stomach and its adjuncts

2

: the enlarged fleshy body of a muscle