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
Michelle Tauber, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
Mango the cat arrived at her new home and instantly lay down, belly-up, mouth wide-open and completely at peace.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
In a single weekend in July 2024, that included at least 400 fish floating belly-up or washing up on shore, according to the city.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 30 July 2025
This is the sweaty world of NASCAR, where mechanics lie belly-up beneath racecars, their hands covered in grime.
—Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
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
Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
Wilding eventually rebranded a taproom in the River North Art District with the Great Divide name, so Denverites can still belly up without traveling to the suburbs.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Wu compared the current state of the industry to the internet era before the dot-com bubble, when a host of firms went belly up but the technology reoriented the economy and established corporate giants.
—ABC News, 22 Nov. 2025
The Environmental Protection Agency announced changes to the Clean Water Act that sportsmen’s organizations say could set us back 50 years to a time when rivers lit on fire and fish went belly up.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 19 Nov. 2025
Knott’s Scary Farm visitors who belly up to the bar at the Calico Saloon can shout requests to a ghost pianist who plays everything from Ragtime masterpieces to summery pop hits by Katy Perry during the annual Halloween seasonal event.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
The hilarious clip, shared on Monday under the username @caragamblee, shows the pup sleeping on the bed with his belly up and his paws stretched out, all while resting his head on the pillow.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The river boils and bucks beneath us, and the raft’s left side smashes belly up against a rocky outcropping.
—Chloe Berge, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
In 1998, hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management was bailed out after its highly leveraged bets on bond arbitrage went belly up after the Russian debt default.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
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Adjective
Sheehan said testing was underway to confirm the causes of death
Holiday visitors to Orlando's Lake Eola Park were met with a grim scene as some of the lake's beloved swans were seen floating belly-up.
—Michelle Tauber, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
Mango the cat arrived at her new home and instantly lay down, belly-up, mouth wide-open and completely at peace.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
In a single weekend in July 2024, that included at least 400 fish floating belly-up or washing up on shore, according to the city.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 30 July 2025
This is the sweaty world of NASCAR, where mechanics lie belly-up beneath racecars, their hands covered in grime.
—Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
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
Verb
Go in a smallish group, belly up to the bar to put your name in, then order a strong drink if there's a wait.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
Wilding eventually rebranded a taproom in the River North Art District with the Great Divide name, so Denverites can still belly up without traveling to the suburbs.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Wu compared the current state of the industry to the internet era before the dot-com bubble, when a host of firms went belly up but the technology reoriented the economy and established corporate giants.
—ABC News, 22 Nov. 2025
The Environmental Protection Agency announced changes to the Clean Water Act that sportsmen’s organizations say could set us back 50 years to a time when rivers lit on fire and fish went belly up.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 19 Nov. 2025
Knott’s Scary Farm visitors who belly up to the bar at the Calico Saloon can shout requests to a ghost pianist who plays everything from Ragtime masterpieces to summery pop hits by Katy Perry during the annual Halloween seasonal event.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
The hilarious clip, shared on Monday under the username @caragamblee, shows the pup sleeping on the bed with his belly up and his paws stretched out, all while resting his head on the pillow.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The river boils and bucks beneath us, and the raft’s left side smashes belly up against a rocky outcropping.
—Chloe Berge, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
In 1998, hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management was bailed out after its highly leveraged bets on bond arbitrage went belly up after the Russian debt default.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belly-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly-up. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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