as in belly
an enlarged or bulging abdomen
Santa is depicted as a white-bearded man with a big paunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of paunch
The display ends and Prabowo strolls the ranks of recruits, asking their home province, their university major, and razzing a couple of the stoutest about their paunch.
—
Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024
About 200 yards below us is a stag, carrying the paunch and heavy antlers of an old highland warrior.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
That’s because Kelly is as phony as her foamy pregnant paunch, having built a career on a mountain of lies similar in scale to ad man Draper’s.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 July 2024
My husband, who has a noticeable paunch, approached her next, asking her to let him by.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 23 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for paunch
Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024
About 200 yards below us is a stag, carrying the paunch and heavy antlers of an old highland warrior.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
That’s because Kelly is as phony as her foamy pregnant paunch, having built a career on a mountain of lies similar in scale to ad man Draper’s.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 July 2024
My husband, who has a noticeable paunch, approached her next, asking her to let him by.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 23 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for paunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paunch
Noun
-
The belly attachment catches browns, and the aft attachment catches rainbows.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Stem cells, harvested from fat cells taken from the belly, are injected into the scalp to stimulate hair growth.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is a man who shows up at a bank with two dubious associates — the glowering, hair-trigger Sal (Moss-Bachrach) and, until his stomach gives out, the wobbling hot mess Ray-Ray (Christopher Sears) — and a bunch of guns.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Until the lava of the bird’s stomach melts her valiant resins, dissolves her nomadic strength, and transforms her into a viscous secretion.—
María Ospina,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Those on the scene identified the pig as male and likely a potbelly.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
-
This digestive machinery takes up a lot of room, giving the animals a potbelly.—
Alex Fox,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paunch. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
