1
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the sails slowly bellied as the wind picked up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in creeping
to move slowly with the body close to the ground
recruits were forced to belly over the obstacle course under simulated enemy fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellying
Verb
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The Indiana Department of Environmental Management inspected it and found a pipe protruding from a berm, leaking water where it’s not supposed to go.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026 -
They’re typically installed above kitchen sinks and provide more light than standard windows, but their protruding design adds weight and insulation considerations.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Innovation in Production Across legal markets, AI is already creeping into cultivation, not as sci-fi robots trimming buds, but as quiet systems making decisions humans used to make by gut.—
Aisha Alves,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2026
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Still, meetings have a way of creeping back onto calendars, so leaders need to empower their employees to defend their time and decline meetings, which can feel awkward or even insulting to the organizer.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Their second goal came on a play that McLellan still felt postgame should have been overturned for goalie interference, with Dylan Strome seemingly poking a puck out from under Gibson’s glove and scoring on a wraparound.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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Spillman seemingly didn’t mind poking fun at her age, hitting the comedic beat again in the November episode that featured the finalists.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The sell-off comes alongside broader market woes, with tech stocks sliding and investors increasingly seeking shelter in old-school safe havens like gold and government bonds.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
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Dishes from other Olympic host cities Cortina will host women’s Alpine skiing, sliding sports (bobsled, luge and skeleton) and curling during the Games.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The workshop was a leather Pouch, bulging with what a child can win.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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The younger Pearl does not stalk the sideline drenched in sweat, veins bulging from his neck and spittle flying at every questionable call.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the grinding war of attrition along the roughly 600-mile front line snaking through eastern and southern Ukraine has dragged on, and Ukrainian civilians are enduring another winter of hardship after Russian bombardment of cities in the rear.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Titled a serpentine, their pavilion is inspired by the crinkle crankle wall, a snaking English architecture feature that harkens back to the sinusoidal walls of Ancient Egypt.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Stay low and keep crawling forward for 3 sets of 10 repetitions.—
RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan,
Health,
29 Jan. 2026
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Few things shake the confidence of a person like crawling to the top bunk of a quivering bed frame, your feet wrapping uncomfortably along the frail metal rungs of the ladder.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
27 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Bellying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellying. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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