The belly of a person or animal is their stomach or abdomen. In British English, this is aninformal or literary use.
She laid her hands on her swollen belly.
You'll eat so much your belly'll be like a barrel.
Synonyms: stomach, insides [informal], gut, abdomen More Synonyms of belly
2. See also beer belly, pot belly
3.
See belly up
More Synonyms of belly
belly in British English
(ˈbɛlɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-lies
1.
the lower or front part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the intestines and other abdominal organs; abdomen
▶ Related adjective: ventral
2.
the stomach, esp when regarded as the seat of gluttony
3.
a part, line, or structure that bulges deeply
the belly of a sail
4.
the inside or interior cavity of something
the belly of a ship
5.
the front or inner part or underside of something
6.
the surface of a stringed musical instrument over which the strings are stretched
7.
the thick central part of certain muscles
8. Australian and New Zealand
the wool from a sheep's belly
9. tanning
the portion of a hide or skin on the underpart of an animal
10. archery
the surface of the bow next to the bowstring
11. archaic
the womb
12. go belly up
verbWord forms: -lies, -lying or -lied
13.
to swell out or cause to swell out; bulge
Word origin
Old English belig; related to Old High German balg, Old Irish bolg sack, Sanskrit barhi chaff
belly in American English
(ˈbɛli)
nounWord forms: pluralˈbellies
1.
the lower front part of the human body between the chest and thighs; abdomen
2.
the underside of an animal's body
3.
the abdominal cavity
4.
the stomach
5.
an appetite for food
6.
the deep interior
the belly of a ship
7.
any part, surface, or section that curves outward or bulges, as the swelling part of a sail in the wind, the fleshy middle part of a muscle, or the upper surface of a violin
8.
the front part or underside of anything
9. Archaic
the womb
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈbellied or ˈbellying
10.
to swell out; curve out; bulge
Idioms:
belly up
go belly up
Word origin
ME beli < OE belg, leather bag, purse, bellows < IE base *bhelĝh-, to swell, bag (< *bhel-, to inflate) > Ir bolg, sack, belly, ON bylgja, billow, Goth balgs, leather bottle
More idioms containing
belly
do something with fire in your belly
Examples of 'belly' in a sentence
belly
Her mum was a belly dancer and the third of his five wives.
The Sun (2016)
We have genuine belly laughs between takes.
The Sun (2016)
What I didn't think was on the list was to teach your daughter to put perfume in her belly button.
The Sun (2016)
Lifting weights can also affect the size of your belly bulge because building muscle increases your metabolism.
The Sun (2012)
Keep your head up and belly button drawn in.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You could have a beer belly and wear just a waistcoat with the belly.
The Sun (2013)
They are usually packed into another container which is loaded in the belly of the aircraft.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
One featuring music and a belly dancer.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He took hold of my hand and led me deep into the belly of the ship.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This may cause your belly more than normal.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Though any mention of that should be followed by a serious belly laugh.
The Sun (2016)
The typical victim is a bloke with a big neck and bigger belly.
The Sun (2013)
Beer bellies were not going to feature in my wedding pictures.
The Sun (2010)
Remember to pull your belly button and pelvic floor in and keep your back flat into the floor.
The Sun (2015)
Something comfortable that hides my belly.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
They said his spleen was enlarged, which was causing his belly to swell.
The Sun (2012)
If pregnant, point to your swelling belly.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
One blind man touches the belly of the animal and thinks it's a wall.
Christianity Today (2000)
At least council staff will have their bellies lined with nutritious grub under a government plan to improve the health of public sector workers.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
I was also left with loose skin around my belly.
The Sun (2015)
There's a pregnant horse, its belly swollen by rock.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Today, though, the belly dancers who performed in the lobby are long gone.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So to get across the road, we had to crawl under the horse 's belly or under their neck.
Max Arthur Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 19011910 in the words of the Men & Women Who WereThere (2006)
When his undercarriage jammed the pilot alerted airfield bosses, burned off spare fuel, then skilfully landed the aircraft on its belly despite strong winds.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
belly
British English: belly /ˈbɛlɪ/ NOUN
A person's or animal's belly is their stomach or abdomen.
She laid her hands on her swollen belly.
American English: belly
Arabic: بَطْن
Brazilian Portuguese: barriga
Chinese: 腹部
Croatian: trbuh
Czech: břicho
Danish: mave
Dutch: buik
European Spanish: vientre
Finnish: maha
French: ventre
German: Bauch
Greek: κοιλιά
Italian: pancia
Japanese: 腹部
Korean: 배
Norwegian: mage
Polish: brzuch
European Portuguese: barriga
Romanian: burtă
Russian: живот
Latin American Spanish: vientre
Swedish: mage
Thai: ท้อง
Turkish: göbek
Ukrainian: живіт
Vietnamese: bụng
All related terms of 'belly'
belly pan
a plate enclosing the bottom of an automotive vehicle or the like below the chassis
belly-up
If a company goes belly up , it does not have enough money to pay its debts .
pot belly
Someone who has a pot belly has a round, fat stomach which sticks out, either because they eat or drink too much, or because they have had very little to eat for some time.
beer belly
If a man has a beer belly , he has a fat stomach because of drinking too much beer.
belly dance
a solo dance of Middle Eastern origin , characterized by undulating movements of the hips and abdomen
belly flop
a dive into water in which the body lands horizontally
belly laugh
A belly laugh is a very loud, deep laugh.
belly-like
resembling a belly
belly tank
a fuel tank in the belly of a plane
Delhi belly
illness resulting from food-borne parasites , esp as suffered by visitors to India
belly button
Your belly button is the small round thing in the centre of your stomach .
belly dancer
A belly dancer is a woman who performs a Middle Eastern dance in which she moves her hips and abdomen about.
belly flopped
a dive into water in which the body lands horizontally
belly landing
the landing of an aircraft on its fuselage without use of its landing gear
silver belly
a freshwater eel
yellow belly
a native of Lincolnshire , esp of the fens
belly flopping
a dive into water in which the body lands horizontally
go belly up
if a company goes belly-up, it fails and does not have enough money to pay its debts
belly of pork
a fatty cut of meat from the pig's belly
to go belly-up
(of a company) to not have enough money to pay its debts
bellyache
Bellyache is a pain inside your abdomen , especially in your stomach .
fire in your belly
If you say that someone has fire in their belly , you are expressing approval of them because they are energetic , enthusiastic , and have very strong feelings.
do something with fire in your belly
to do something in a very enthusiastic , energetic , and passionate way
Chinese translation of 'belly'
belly
(ˈbɛlɪ)
n(c)
[of person, animal]腹部 (fùbù)
(noun)
Definition
the stomach
The dog rolled onto its back so its belly could be scratched.
Synonyms
stomach
My stomach is completely full.
insides (informal)
gut
His gut sagged over his belt.
abdomen
He underwent tests for pains in his abdomen.
tummy (informal)
Your baby's tummy should feel warm, but not hot.
paunch
He was developing a paunch.
vitals
breadbasket (slang)
potbelly
corporation (informal)
puku (New Zealand)
(verb)
Definition
to swell out
Synonyms
swell out
fill
Your lungs fill with air.
spread
swell
The limbs swell to an enormous size.
bulge
He bulges out of his black T-shirt.
billow
the billowing sails
idiom
See go belly up
related words
technical nameventer
related adjectiveventral
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abdomen
Definition
the part of the body that contains the stomach and intestines