1
as in stomachs
an enlarged or bulging abdomen
worked hard to get rid of his belly in time to attend his class reunion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in abdomens
the part of the body between the chest and the pelvis
a baby with a round little belly
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hearts
the seat of one's deepest thoughts and emotions
in my belly I knew that he wasn't telling the truth, as the details of his story just didn't add up
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in protrudes
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the sails slowly bellied as the wind picked up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 bellies
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Their mission is to keep bellies full every day of the week and the children focused on a bright future.
—Mike Spatocco, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
The two other wolves came into sight behind her, sliding along on their bellies like cats stalking a bird.
—Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
The reptile handlers drape the snakes over students' shoulders or bellies, but snakes also start winding their own way around the room and climbing up people's bodies (apparently some snakes' tree-climbing instincts are applicable to scaling humans as well).
—Deena Prichep, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
About 13% of air cargo goes through the Middle East, either on cargo planes or in the bellies of commercial airliners.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
Particularly caring mice dads will groom their pups and even insulate them with their bellies against inclement weather.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Always the yellow bellies, never liquor.
—Andrew Callahan, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
More food competitions in February and March This isn’t the only competition meant to keep bars and bellies full.
—Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
Drivers, hunters and truckers heading across the state on Alligator Alley would fill their vehicles and their bellies here.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Their mission is to keep bellies full every day of the week and the children focused on a bright future.
—Mike Spatocco, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
The two other wolves came into sight behind her, sliding along on their bellies like cats stalking a bird.
—Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
The reptile handlers drape the snakes over students' shoulders or bellies, but snakes also start winding their own way around the room and climbing up people's bodies (apparently some snakes' tree-climbing instincts are applicable to scaling humans as well).
—Deena Prichep, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
About 13% of air cargo goes through the Middle East, either on cargo planes or in the bellies of commercial airliners.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
Particularly caring mice dads will groom their pups and even insulate them with their bellies against inclement weather.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Always the yellow bellies, never liquor.
—Andrew Callahan, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
More food competitions in February and March This isn’t the only competition meant to keep bars and bellies full.
—Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellies
Noun
-
Total gastrectomies had been performed before, in patients whose stomachs were already ridden with tumors—but never routinely in healthy people who did not have cancer and may ultimately never have cancer at all.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Those with strong sea legs (and stomachs) ride on the upper tier of the ferry, while the smoother seats are indoors and toward the back of the boat.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Starting in 2013 more than a hundred thousand women received calls about the urgent need to have surgically implanted pelvic mesh removed from their lower abdomens.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The stingers they are equipped with can be up to about a quarter-inch (6 mm) in length and inject a painful venom – which is stored in large quantities in their abdomens – into their victims.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The camera briefly returned to the actual game — the Giants’ Landen Roupp threw a pitch to Jorge Polanco, who fouled the ball off his foot — but the booth’s hearts were clearly in the stands.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The location holds a special place in their hearts as the destination of their first annual trip when Shirvell's daughter was 3 years old.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Part of it protrudes from the exterior, with natural airflow helping keep the food inside chilled.—
Adam Williams
March 29,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The lone camera is a single round lens that protrudes from the upper-left corner of the rear panel.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To accommodate the mass of passengers, the line snakes through baggage claim and around the terminal.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The nonprofit corporate governance reforms under the new laws will have a major impact on many Florida community associations, which are organized as nonprofit corporations.—
Evonne Andris,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The number of corporations exploded and financial markets provided funds for railroads, telegraph lines, and research and development.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Young Alfred Tennyson grew up in a similarly provincial bit of England, tucked away in his father’s vicarage on a remote part of the east coast of England in a village of fewer than a hundred souls.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
An ancient ginkgo tree enchants longing souls across more than a century in this spellbinding cinematic triptych starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Léa Seydoux.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a brain aneurysm is a weakened area in an artery that bulges outward and fills with blood.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bellies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellies. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
