as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
a bellyful of complaints about the new security procedures
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Recent Examples of bellyful
At dawn, the farmers loaded the trucks with the land’s bellyful of flowers and headed out to sell to the neighboring towns.
—
Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
The apex of that transformation arrived with the N.F.L. planting this year’s event in Las Vegas, where the prevailing ethos might well be that a bellyful of anything is barely enough.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024
Who wants to talk of destruction with a bellyful of ribs?
—John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 2 July 2019
Go instead for the exquisite acting, the splendiferous set — and a bellyful of laughs.
—Joanne Engelhardt, The Mercury News, 13 June 2019
The ecologist gets his data and the caiman is none the worse for wear, save for losing a bellyful of rotting flesh.
—Jason Bittel, Smithsonian, 11 Oct. 2017
On its way to skim the lake and grab a bellyful of water to drop on a nearby forest fire, a CL-215—also known as Scooper—gave him a nice little haircut.
—Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, 15 Aug. 2016
Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
The apex of that transformation arrived with the N.F.L. planting this year’s event in Las Vegas, where the prevailing ethos might well be that a bellyful of anything is barely enough.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024
Who wants to talk of destruction with a bellyful of ribs?
—John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 2 July 2019
Go instead for the exquisite acting, the splendiferous set — and a bellyful of laughs.
—Joanne Engelhardt, The Mercury News, 13 June 2019
The ecologist gets his data and the caiman is none the worse for wear, save for losing a bellyful of rotting flesh.
—Jason Bittel, Smithsonian, 11 Oct. 2017
On its way to skim the lake and grab a bellyful of water to drop on a nearby forest fire, a CL-215—also known as Scooper—gave him a nice little haircut.
—Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, 15 Aug. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellyful
Noun
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Due to Boston's surplus of talented outfielders under contract, the team has no shortage of options to choose from for who will be in the outfield next season.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Several governors have declared states of emergency so surplus and emergency funds can be used to help food banks or SNAP recipients directly.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For Jay Gatsby, a man of immense wealth and few scruples, almost nothing is beyond his voracious appetite for excess.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
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Saraceno explained that there is commonly an excess of huskies in shelters.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bellyful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellyful. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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