as in plump
having a large protruding abdomen
an old, potbellied cat that now needs a ramp just to get on the sofa
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Recent Examples of potbellied
Perun summoned a potbellied officer from the T.D.F. brigade to the operations center.
—
Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
What could be more luxurious than checking in without having to wade through a maze of slot machines and a cloud of cigarette smoke, dodging potbellied dudes in tank tops?
—Jay McInerney, Town & Country, 18 June 2023
The Delaware Department of Agriculture is encouraging people who own potbellied pigs as pets to spay or neuter them to prevent unintended litters.
—Joseph De Avila, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2022
Outside this church upon a mosque upon a church, a potbellied Arab sat on the steps, conspicuously reciting his Quran.
—Aatish Taseer Richard Mosse, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for potbellied
Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
What could be more luxurious than checking in without having to wade through a maze of slot machines and a cloud of cigarette smoke, dodging potbellied dudes in tank tops?
—Jay McInerney, Town & Country, 18 June 2023
The Delaware Department of Agriculture is encouraging people who own potbellied pigs as pets to spay or neuter them to prevent unintended litters.
—Joseph De Avila, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2022
Outside this church upon a mosque upon a church, a potbellied Arab sat on the steps, conspicuously reciting his Quran.
—Aatish Taseer Richard Mosse, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for potbellied
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potbellied
Adjective
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The centerpiece, adorned with plump peaches and a full moon, blends an American style of clay-throwing with carving techniques Saw learned in Jingdezhen.—
Abbey Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
9 Apr. 2026
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Vitamin E and sunflower seed oil buff out uneven texture and plump fine lines.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In Arthur Penn’s 1975 neo-noir Night Moves, Griffith is Delly Grastner, a 16-year-old runaway with a little girl’s voice and a grown woman’s body—on full display in an underwater nude scene—intent on seducing Gene Hackman, 43 and paunchy.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
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There isn’t much room in this palette for public pools or paunchy, suburban retirees.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Sometimes, depending upon a patient’s anatomy, fat in the surrounding area will be removed to enhance the result, helping to alleviate heaviness and hooding of the eyes.—
Taryn Brooke,
Allure,
9 Apr. 2026
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This Lincoln Park restaurant’s OBH burger comes with a side of beef fat wedge fries.—
Kayla Samoy,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potbellied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potbellied. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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