belly
gb/bˈɛli/ us/bˈɛli/
A2
Inglés
~ 7800
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
A2
entity
1
front part of the abdomen
The front part of your body below your chest and above your legs; your tummy.
Patrón de uso:
someone's belly; on your belly; [adjective] belly
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse "belly" and "stomach". "Belly" usually refers to the outside front part of the body, while "stomach" can mean the inside organ. In formal or medical situations, "stomach" is more common than "belly".
Sinónimos
tummy (More childlike and informal than "belly"; often used with or by children.)
Antónimos
back (Refers to the opposite side of the body from the belly.)
Colocaciones
big belly
|flat belly
|bare belly
|belly fat
|on your belly
|hold your belly
Temas
body
|health
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- He lay on his belly in the grass, watching the ants crawl by.
- After the holidays, he noticed his belly had gotten a bit bigger.
- The baby slept on her mother's chest, with her tiny belly rising and falling.
- She wore a short top that showed her belly.
- The doctor pressed gently on my belly to check for pain.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- My belly hurts after I eat too fast.
- The child lies on his belly and watches TV.
- I want a flat belly, so I do exercise.
- He puts his hands on his belly and laughs.
- She has a small tattoo on her belly.
Sustantivo
informal
A2
entity
2
stomach and feeling of fullness
Your stomach, especially when you talk about being hungry or full of food.
Patrón de uso:
a full/empty belly; put [something] in your belly
Error frecuente:
Some learners overuse "belly" in serious or formal contexts where "stomach" is more natural, for example in medical settings. In those cases, "stomach" or "abdomen" is preferred.
Sinónimos
stomach (Very common and neutral; can be more formal and is used both for the organ and the feeling of hunger/fullness.)
Antónimos
hunger (Represents the opposite state of having a full or satisfied belly.)
Colocaciones
empty belly
|full belly
|growling belly
|rumbling belly
|fill your belly
|go to bed with an empty belly
Temas
body
|food
|health
Ejemplos
- After three slices of pizza, his belly was finally full.
- The children went to bed with empty bellies.
- I need some breakfast in my belly before I can think.
- Her belly started to rumble loudly during the meeting.
- Travelers were given hot soup to warm their bellies.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- My belly is empty, so I want to eat.
- After dinner, my belly feels very full.
- He put some food in his belly and felt better.
- Her belly was growling in class.
- Water in your belly can help you feel less hungry.
Sustantivo
B1
entity
3
rounded underside or middle part
The round lower or middle part of something, like the bottom of a plane or the curve of a hill.
Patrón de uso:
the belly of [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners may think "belly" can describe any lower part. It is usually used when the lower part is rounded or hollow, not for a flat bottom like a table top.
Sinónimos
underside (Focuses only on the lower surface, while "belly" also suggests a rounded shape.)
Antónimos
top (Refers to the highest or uppermost part, opposite the underside or belly of something.)
Colocaciones
the belly of the plane
|the ship's belly
|the belly of the mountain
|the belly of the wave
|the belly of the bridge
Temas
objects
|nature
|transport
|core_vocabulary
|transportation
Ejemplos
- Cargo was stored in the belly of the plane.
- The whale rolled, showing the pale belly of its enormous body.
- They camped in the belly of the valley, protected from the wind.
- The waves lifted the boat, then dropped it into the belly of the sea.
- Pipes ran along the belly of the bridge, hidden from view.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Many bags go in the belly of the airplane.
- The cat lay on the warm belly of the car.
- Lights were fixed to the belly of the bridge.
- We walked through the belly of the old ship.
- The road runs along the belly of the hill.
Verbo
C1
action
4
to swell or bulge outward
To push out in a round shape, or to make something push out in a round shape, like a sail in the wind.
Patrón de uso:
to belly out; to belly [something] out
Error frecuente:
This verb is not very common in everyday speech. Learners often use "bulge" or "swell" instead, which are more frequent and usually fine. "Belly" as a verb sounds more descriptive or literary.
Sinónimos
bulge (More general term for swelling outward; "belly" often suggests a smoother, larger curve and is less common.)
Antónimos
flatten (Means to make something flat, removing the outward curve that "belly" describes.)
Colocaciones
belly out
|belly in the wind
|belly the sail
|a bellying curtain
|belly against the glass
Temas
movement
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The sail bellied out as the wind picked up.
- Heavy rain made the tent fabric belly inward.
- Her dress bellied in the breeze as she crossed the street.
- The plastic sheet bellied under the weight of the water.
- The banner bellied and snapped in the strong wind.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The sail bellies out when the wind is strong.
- The curtain bellied in and out with the wind.
- The roof bellied under the heavy snow.
- The bag bellied when we put many things inside.
- The flag bellies out above the building.
Sustantivo
informal
B2
entity
5
courage or will to do something
The courage or strong wish you need to do something hard or scary.
Patrón de uso:
have the belly for [something]; not have the belly for [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes translate directly from their language and say "have a belly" to mean being fat. In English, "have the belly for" in this sense means to have the courage or will, not a large stomach. This use is also less common than using "guts" or "stomach" (e.g., "have the stomach for it").
Sinónimos
guts (Very common informal word for courage; "belly" in this sense is less common and mostly appears in set phrases.)
Antónimos
cowardice (Directly contrasts with having the courage or stomach to do something difficult.)
Colocaciones
have the belly for it
|not have the belly for a fight
|lost his belly for it
|no belly for a long war
Temas
emotions
|personality
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- He talked tough, but he didn't have the belly for a real fight.
- They soon discovered they had no belly for a long, dirty war.
- She lost her belly for politics after the scandal.
- The investors lacked the belly for another risky deal.
- I do not have the belly for that kind of confrontation.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He does not have the belly for a fight.
- They had no belly for a long war.
- I do not have the belly for that job.
- She lost her belly for politics.
- He says he has the belly for hard work.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
belly
AFI
GB/bˈɛli/
US/bˈɛli/
Sílabas y acento
belly (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (belly)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: belly
- Plural: bellies
Verb
- Base: belly
- 3rd Person Singular: bellies
- Present Participle: bellying
- Past: bellied
Familia de palabras
Forms
bellies
noun
bellying
verb
bellied
verb
Related words
bellyache
noun
underbelly
noun
Advanced or less common
potbelly
noun
potbellied
adjective
bellyful
noun
Expresiones
belly button
1/bˈɛli bˈʌtən/
fixed phrase
navel; small mark on belly
The small round mark in the middle of your belly; your navel.
Ejemplos
- The baby has a tiny belly button.
- He has a tattoo just above his belly button.
- Her shirt was so short that her belly button showed.
belly dance
1/bˈɛli dˈæns/
fixed phrase
dance using belly and hips
A kind of dance from the Middle East where dancers move their belly and hips in special ways.
Ejemplos
- She takes a belly dance class every Thursday.
- We watched a belly dance performance at the restaurant.
- He learned some basic belly dance moves for fun.
belly laugh
1/bˈɛli lˈæf/
fixed phrase
loud, deep, hearty laugh
A very loud and strong laugh that shakes your body.
Ejemplos
- The joke made everyone burst into a belly laugh.
- His big belly laugh filled the whole room.
- It was the kind of movie that gives you one good belly laugh after another.
belly of the beast
1/bˈɛli əv ðə bˈist/
idiom
literary
central, dangerous part of something
The most central and dangerous part of a powerful or bad place or system.
Ejemplos
- As a reporter, she worked in the belly of the beast, inside the government itself.
- The film takes you into the belly of the beast of organized crime.
- He felt he was entering the belly of the beast when he walked into the headquarters.
fill your belly
1/fˈɪl jˈʊɹ bˈɛli/
fixed phrase
eat until your stomach is full
To eat enough food so that you are full.
Ejemplos
- Come in, sit down, and fill your belly.
- They filled their bellies with hot soup after the long walk.
- A simple bowl of rice was enough to fill his belly.
fire in your belly
1/fˈaɪɚ ˈɪn jˈʊɹ bˈɛli/
idiom
strong drive or passion inside
A very strong feeling that makes you want to work hard or fight for something.
Ejemplos
- The coach said he wanted to see more fire in their bellies.
- She has real fire in her belly about climate change.
- The speech put fire in their bellies before the match.
go belly up
1/ɡˈoʊ bˈɛli ˈʌp/
idiom
informal
to fail completely or go broke
For a business, plan, or project to fail completely and stop working, often because of money problems.
Ejemplos
- Many small shops went belly up during the recession.
- The project went belly up after they lost funding.
- Investors panicked when they heard the company might go belly up.
have a bellyful of
1/hˈæv ə bˈɛljfəl əv/
idiom
informal
to be completely fed up
To have had so much of something that you are very tired of it or angry about it.
Ejemplos
- I've had a bellyful of your excuses.
- The workers had a bellyful of low pay and long hours.
- She said she had a bellyful of bad dates.
pot belly
1/pˈɑt bˈɛli/
fixed phrase
informal
round, sticking-out belly
A round belly that sticks out, especially on an adult.
Ejemplos
- He was worried about his little pot belly.
- Years of sitting at a desk had given him a pot belly.
- The old dog had a soft pot belly.
beer belly
1/bˈɪɹ bˈɛli/
fixed phrase
informal
Large stomach from drinking beer
A big stomach that some people get from drinking a lot of beer.
Ejemplos
- He joked about his beer belly after seeing himself in the mirror.
- He gave up drinking to get rid of his beer belly.
- Regular exercise can help prevent a beer belly.
- Middle age and a desk job have given him a serious beer belly.
- He joked about his beer belly at the party.
belly flop
1/bˈɛli flˈɑp/
fixed phrase
informal
jump into water flat on belly
To jump into water and hit it flat with your belly, which usually hurts.
Ejemplos
- He tried to dive but ended up doing a painful belly flop.
- The crowd laughed when she did a huge belly flop off the board.
- As a kid, he learned to swim after too many belly flops.
belly flop
2/bˈɛli flˈɑp/
fixed phrase
Painful flat stomach dive into water
When you jump into water and land flat on your stomach, making a big splash and feeling pain.
Ejemplos
- He did a belly flop into the pool by mistake.
- Her belly flop made everyone laugh.