BELLIED Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

bellied

verb

Definition of bellied

past tense of belly

as in protruded

to extend outward beyond a usual point the sails slowly bellied as the wind picked up

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crawled

to move slowly with the body close to the ground recruits were forced to belly over the obstacle course under simulated enemy fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 bellied Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens behind the bar and actor Hugh Jackman bellied, err abs-ed, up to it. — Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 3 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellied

Verb

In several looks, the hips protruded impressively outward, but the silhouette appeared more subtle and somewhat suitable for everyday wear in the label’s delicate camisole tops.

— Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026
The skinny braids wrapped the bottom of the bun, while the thicker braids dressed the top, forming a cylinder shape that protruded from the crown of her head.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 June 2026

Definition of protruded

Verb

Primus crawled from the same California soup that gave birth to a host of funk-metal acts in the 1980s, following Fishbone, Faith No More, and, most infamously, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
Mysterio went for the Three Amigos, but Danhausen blocked the last attempt and crawled to the corner.

— Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawled

Verb

Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.

— Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.

— Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

With a practice script in hand, Shanahan has crept closer to some offensive drills.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
As the population grew, and construction and pollution crept closer to water sources, many springs have since dried up or receded to thin trickles.

— Umar Farooq, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of crept

Verb

Here, too, there were echoes of Keegan’s blissful early days, when queues snaked outside the stadium hours before kick-off and every victory felt like alchemy.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 30 July 2026
At the bus stop, there was a queue of chartered double-decker buses and a vast crowd, mostly men in blue business suits, snaked four times around the car park, waiting to board the vehicles.

— David Szondy July 23, New Atlas, 23 July 2026

Definition of snaked

Verb

The snake, later identified as an approximately eight-foot-long Burmese python, had slithered beneath the floor of a wooden shed.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026
Laura stepped right into her body, felt a small resistance and then the give as the rival slithered, eagerly, into the air.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Definition of slithered

Browse Nearby Words

bellicosity

bellied

bellied up

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bellied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellied. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bellied

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on bellied

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

salvo

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes