as in to close
to come near or nearer
belly up to the buffet table and help yourselves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 belly up
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
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
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
Now, belly up to USA TODAY's Bars of the Year with Mackensy Lunsford.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 30 July 2025
The 2024 season was the first full year of sales for most schools and sales figures obtained by the Free Press under the Freedom of Information Act show college sports fans are bellying up to the bar for $10 Budweisers and Coors Lights as well as $12 Oberons and White Claws.
—John Wisely, Freep.com, 12 May 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
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
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
Now, belly up to USA TODAY's Bars of the Year with Mackensy Lunsford.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 30 July 2025
The 2024 season was the first full year of sales for most schools and sales figures obtained by the Free Press under the Freedom of Information Act show college sports fans are bellying up to the bar for $10 Budweisers and Coors Lights as well as $12 Oberons and White Claws.
—John Wisely, Freep.com, 12 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly up
Verb
-
Black Apple closes Springdale taproom SPRINGDALE -- Black Apple Hard Cider has closed its taproom on East Emma Street, a company founder confirmed Tuesday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
-
At West Ham, Nuno has aligned himself with a club where the problems run so much deeper than merely trying to prevent the chilly fingers of relegation from closing round their neck.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But videos captured by other observers and members of the public show an ICE agent approaching a Honda Pilot that was stopped on a snowy road and ordering the driver — later identified as Good — to open the door before grabbing the handle.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
How the Overtown museum came about Some years ago, Marilyn Holifield, co-founder of the museum and a partner in Holland & Knight, approached me about creating a museum featuring Overtown’s history, combined with art and technology.—
Dorothy Jenkins Fields,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The system draws on data from devices like the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring to establish a personal baseline, then looks for subtle deviations linked to early dementia research.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Yet even with all of that stacked against it, Venezuela’s democratic opposition does have a hopeful historical precedent to draw on.—
Michael Albertus,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Will Woll’s return to the Leafs come earlier than the organization anticipated?—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
And 74 of those came when Donovan Olugbode was open for three receptions.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Smart, Dabo Swinney (whose fan base is nearing open revolt) and Ryan Day (who is probably one more disappointing year away from the same thing).—
Will Leitch,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
But as the awards show neared, Brown discovered a key problem.—
Laurie Brookins,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On Iowa State’s next possession, TCU senior safety Bud Clark came up with a massive interception right before the two-minute timeout, giving TCU a great opportunity to seize control of the game with the Horned Frogs getting the ball at halftime.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Thomas missed a pullup three-pointer on Arkansas’ next possession, forward Nick Pringle came up with an offensive rebound, then Thomas missed a runner in the lane.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belly up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20up. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share