belly
Americannoun
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the front or under part of a vertebrate body from the breastbone to the pelvis, containing the abdominal viscera; the abdomen.
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the stomach with its adjuncts.
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appetite or capacity for food; gluttony.
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the womb.
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the inside or interior of anything.
the belly of a ship.
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a protuberant or bulging surface of anything.
the belly of a flask.
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Anatomy. the fleshy part of a muscle.
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the front, inner, or under surface or part, as distinguished from the back.
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the front surface of a violin or similar instrument.
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a bulge on a vertical surface of fresh concrete.
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the underpart of the fuselage of an airplane.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to swell out.
Sails bellying in the wind.
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to crawl on one's belly.
soldiers bellying through a rice paddy.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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the lower or front part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the intestines and other abdominal organs; abdomen
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the stomach, esp when regarded as the seat of gluttony
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a part, line, or structure that bulges deeply
the belly of a sail
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the inside or interior cavity of something
the belly of a ship
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the front or inner part or underside of something
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the surface of a stringed musical instrument over which the strings are stretched
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the thick central part of certain muscles
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the wool from a sheep's belly
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tanning the portion of a hide or skin on the underpart of an animal
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archery the surface of the bow next to the bowstring
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archaic the womb
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informal to die, fail, or come to an end
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have belliedperfect
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has belliedperfect 3rd person singular
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am bellyingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been bellyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is bellyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are bellyingprogressive
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have been bellyingperfect progressive
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belliessingular 3rd person
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bellyingparticiple
Past
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had belliedperfect
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had been bellyingperfect progressive
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were bellyingprogressive plural
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belliedparticiple
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was bellyingprogressive singular
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belliedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of belly
before 950; Middle English bely, Old English belig, belg bag, skin; cognate with German Balg, Gothic balgs, Old Norse belgr sack; akin to Welsh bol ( a ), boly, Irish bolg sack, belly, bellows, Serbo-Croatian blàzina, Latvian pabàlsts, Avestan barəziš-, Persian bālish cushion
Explanation
Your belly is your stomach. If you have a belly ache, you have a pain in your abdomen. Santa Claus is famous for his jolly laugh and his large belly. The word belly is a more casual way to say "stomach" or "abdomen," just as your navel is informally called a "belly button." A less common way to use the word is as a verb meaning "to swell," which is actually the oldest meaning of belly, from the Old English belig, "bag," and a Germanic root meaning "to swell like a bag."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He whiffed and, as his belly careened iceward, made a desperate swat at the puck that lifted it over the glove of the Vegas goalie to give the Hurricanes a lead they’d never relinquish.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
Standout dishes include the grilled salmon skewers with peanut dipping sauce, crispy pork belly, and any of the restaurant’s jeow dipping sauces paired with sticky rice.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
“Erin made fun of me on the day because I kept staring at her fake pregnant belly, because it was so surreal for me,” Quaid recalls.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
In other words, the tails matter, not just the belly of the distribution.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
There was an umbilical cord running from the belly of the exploded beast back to the financial 1980s.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
