as in to close
to come near or nearer
belly up to the buffet table and help yourselves
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Recent Examples of belly up
The new place has a bar to belly up to, a beat-up car for families and kids to play in and pose for the 'Gram and TikTok, and colorful neon signs.
—
Charlie D'agata, CBS News, 10 June 2026
But when the primary local industry went belly up, so did the town.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026
The private patio space off of the living room bellies up to the beach, where two sunbeds and an umbrella are set up for sunset happy hours.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 24 Feb. 2026
Once called ''the funniest woman on TV,'' Catherine O'Hara spends much of her time these days bellying up against a snooker table at the Squeeze Club, a Toronto juice bar and pool hall.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Across the river, Le Crocodile at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn brings a stylish, approachable scene for bellying up and indulging in sexy French cuisine.
—Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
For the best seat in the house, request the chef's table that bellies up to the kitchen.
—Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 16 Jan. 2026
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
Charlie D'agata, CBS News, 10 June 2026
But when the primary local industry went belly up, so did the town.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026
The private patio space off of the living room bellies up to the beach, where two sunbeds and an umbrella are set up for sunset happy hours.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 24 Feb. 2026
Once called ''the funniest woman on TV,'' Catherine O'Hara spends much of her time these days bellying up against a snooker table at the Squeeze Club, a Toronto juice bar and pool hall.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Across the river, Le Crocodile at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn brings a stylish, approachable scene for bellying up and indulging in sexy French cuisine.
—Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
For the best seat in the house, request the chef's table that bellies up to the kitchen.
—Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 16 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly up
Verb
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Reopening the Strait of Hormuz — which Tehran effectively closed during the conflict — is a key part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran.—
Lou Robinson,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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The store closed more than five years ago in the wake of a 2018 filing by its parent company for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Studios, production companies and distributors regularly approach Promise, a generative AI company, to bring AI into their productions, and each arrives with its own usage guidelines, said the company’s president, Jamie Byrne.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Authorities said Reyes repeatedly approached the girl and asked for her phone number.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Scientists can draw on it to identify and study 100,000 exoplanets, hundreds of millions of galaxies, billions of stars, and rare objects and phenomena — including some that astronomers have never witnessed before.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
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The project draws on Thornton’s personal history.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The establishment of the fund comes less than two weeks after a district court judge ruled the Kennedy Center's board acted unlawfully in adding the president's name and in making plans for two years of closure and renovations.—
Emma Nicholson,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing, to be followed by technical-level talks in the coming week.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Merced is expected to see its hottest temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs nearing 98 degrees before cooling into the 80s by Thursday.—
Angela Rodriguez,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
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Brunson would not go quietly, using another flurry of points to cut the Spurs’ lead back down to six as the quarter neared the halfway point.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
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To come up with its list, Airport Parking and Hotels looked at 12 different factors for each airport, including the number of lounges, the number of daily flights, the number of shower rooms, Wi-Fi access, the number of restaurants and cafes, and more.—
Kristine Hansen,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
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Wemby and super-young players like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, who performed on Saturday night with the energy of a gazelle and the court vision of an eagle, are just too good to come up short for long.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belly up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20up. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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