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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly up
Verb
-
The return of his body closed a painful chapter for the country and cleared the way for the next and more challenging phase of the ceasefire, which calls for deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, pulling back Israeli soldiers and rebuilding Gaza.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
China had closed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic and only reopened them in earnest in early 2023.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Security footage of the incident showed Richardson approaching Coleman from out of the frame and appears to grab his backpack from behind.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The strongest winds are expected near the coast, where gusts could approach hurricane force, or 75 miles per hour, along parts of the North Carolina and Virginia shoreline by Saturday night.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
South Korean production companies Barunson E&A and Studio N have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-develop film and series projects for Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, drawing on Studio N’s library of webtoon and web novel intellectual property.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
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Upon his return, Iger moved quickly to remedy the damage caused by Chapek, learn from his failings, and establish a more robust succession plan, drawing on his experience and that of others.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As part of Congress, Menefee could face voting on controversial issues in coming weeks.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Hicks had been owed $25 million over the next two seasons, a liability that came with a hefty payroll tax for Boston.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Now, the league’s most incredible one-year turnaround is nearing a conclusion.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
As of now, the coldest morning looks to be Friday, with air temperatures nearing double digits below zero amid light winds and slightly clearer skies.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When asked whether the 23-year age difference comes up in everyday life, with cultural references or interests, Sam says the answer is, generally, no.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
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Oil and gas rarely come up in conversations about our state’s energy past, present or future.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belly up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20up. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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