plural bellies
1
a
: abdomen sense 1
also
: potbelly sense 1
b
: the stomach and its adjuncts
c
: the undersurface of an animal's body
also
: hide from this part
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 situationTony SchermanMeanwhile, the very best bodies of America are in prison, pumping iron in the belly of the beast.—Robert Lipsyte
Robert Lipsyte3
: 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
bellied; bellying
: to cause to swell or fill out
wind bellying the sails
Synonyms
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 WebCatherine 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
Wisps of smoke rise from the pig's belly as Haller makes an incision with an electric scalpel.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Inside crepey wrinkles and wiry fur, heavy brows and grubby nails, plodding feet and soft, pale bellies are Keough and her three co-stars, Nathan Zellner as the alpha, Jesse Eisenberg as the beta and Christophe Zajac-Denek as the child who occasionally suckles at Keough’s breasts.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Frequently Asked Questions What causes the most belly fat?
—Carey Rossi, Health, 9 Apr. 2024
Watching the Avs and Nuggets the last week has been akin to Taco Bell hitting the belly at 3 a.m.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The droid then releases your package from its belly before ascending back into the sky.
—Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Oh, and Vida isn’t thrilled about a very large needle poking through her belly into her baby’s head WHILE SHE IS AWAKE.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Star Tribune, 4 May 2021
Earl, a beer-bellied alien with a quad-cannon and a trucker hat, drawls about the simple life with a southern accent.
—Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 27 May 2020
Working quickly and in batches if necessary (adding more oil for the second batch if needed), arrange the dumplings belly side down in concentric circles starting from the outer edge.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2020
As loose-limbed a feel as the show boasts, though, this is an intricately staged and smartly conceived retelling of DiCamillo’s story about a mouse born with rampant curiosity, surprisingly large ears and an unusual lack of yellow-bellied-ness.
—James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2019
The alder, least and yellow-bellied only occur as migrants.
—Taylor Piephoff, charlotteobserver, 13 June 2018
Say bye-bye to belly fat and hello to a new and improved you.
—David Zinczenko, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2018
Patients have included dogs and cats, of course, but also a bearded dragon lizard, a hamster, a hedgehog and a pot-bellied pig.
—Nancy Dahlberg, miamiherald, 23 Feb. 2018
But giving them a run for the money will be the wildlife ambassadors that call the Science Center home: Ethel the opossum, Spooks the hognose snake, Sunny the yellow-bellied ball python and Mr. Six the three-toed box turtle.
—Faye Reeder, star-telegram, 25 Oct. 2017
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
Wisps of smoke rise from the pig's belly as Haller makes an incision with an electric scalpel.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Inside crepey wrinkles and wiry fur, heavy brows and grubby nails, plodding feet and soft, pale bellies are Keough and her three co-stars, Nathan Zellner as the alpha, Jesse Eisenberg as the beta and Christophe Zajac-Denek as the child who occasionally suckles at Keough’s breasts.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Frequently Asked Questions What causes the most belly fat?
—Carey Rossi, Health, 9 Apr. 2024
Watching the Avs and Nuggets the last week has been akin to Taco Bell hitting the belly at 3 a.m.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The droid then releases your package from its belly before ascending back into the sky.
—Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Oh, and Vida isn’t thrilled about a very large needle poking through her belly into her baby’s head WHILE SHE IS AWAKE.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
The see-ya-Miguel theory also ran into complications Tuesday: Arraez went on the concussion list for seven days after his foolish decision to belly slide into home plate on Monday.
—Star Tribune, 4 May 2021
Earl, a beer-bellied alien with a quad-cannon and a trucker hat, drawls about the simple life with a southern accent.
—Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 27 May 2020
Working quickly and in batches if necessary (adding more oil for the second batch if needed), arrange the dumplings belly side down in concentric circles starting from the outer edge.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2020
As loose-limbed a feel as the show boasts, though, this is an intricately staged and smartly conceived retelling of DiCamillo’s story about a mouse born with rampant curiosity, surprisingly large ears and an unusual lack of yellow-bellied-ness.
—James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2019
The alder, least and yellow-bellied only occur as migrants.
—Taylor Piephoff, charlotteobserver, 13 June 2018
Say bye-bye to belly fat and hello to a new and improved you.
—David Zinczenko, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2018
Patients have included dogs and cats, of course, but also a bearded dragon lizard, a hamster, a hedgehog and a pot-bellied pig.
—Nancy Dahlberg, miamiherald, 23 Feb. 2018
But giving them a run for the money will be the wildlife ambassadors that call the Science Center home: Ethel the opossum, Spooks the hognose snake, Sunny the yellow-bellied ball python and Mr. Six the three-toed box turtle.
—Faye Reeder, star-telegram, 25 Oct. 2017
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.
Dictionary Entries Near belly
Cite this Entry
“Belly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
belly
noun
bel·ly
ˈbel-ē 
plural bellies
1
a
b
: the undersurface of an animal's body
d
: the stomach and its adjuncts
2
: the enlarged fleshy body of a muscle
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