1
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the sails slowly bellied as the wind picked up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
-
Its protruding ribs and spiky hair are frozen in midair, like a cornered cat.—
Mary Wenthur,
Footwear News,
18 May 2026 -
Floating above the soundstage was a massive eyeball with a rainbow runway carpet protruding from it like a tongue.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Audiences have championed the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares that made ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras feel terrifying.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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This low-mounding shade perennial sends up taller, slender stems with airy flower clusters, and the groundcover spreads by slowly creeping rhizomes.—
Judy Nauseef,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Before Sweets could be dressed and draped for surgery, the three feet of stick poking out of her body needed to be addressed.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
British politics in 2026 is a landscape of meh, with Farage’s grin poking over the horizon.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Whitlock was able to recover and make a sliding catch to end the inning, but Wong did not return and was subbed out for Carlos Narvaez to catch the ninth.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2026
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That led to bulkier versions that helped guard against limbs sliding between the cushion and tubes, ending with a final iteration that, much to Axelsson’s pride, some colleagues didn’t realize was filled with air until its inventor asked them to stand up and hoist it above their heads.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Verb
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But if the gland expands or droops, which is common with age, a portion of it can escape those confines, bulging out below the jawbone and appearing as a lump in the neck.—
Jolene Edgar,
Allure,
14 May 2026
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Even casinos with bulging coffers have an upper limit.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Tuesday's storms are expected to follow a cold front snaking its way across the country.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
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Louisiana map scraps snaking district Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Police said the driver was eventually able to escape by crawling out a window.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Staff started out by wearing bear masks and animal furs, then crawling into the enclosure to spoon-feed the cubs formula.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Bellying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellying. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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