belly
front part of the abdomen
The front part of your body below your chest and above your legs; your tummy.
someone's belly; on your belly; [adjective] belly
- 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.
- 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.
stomach and feeling of fullness
Your stomach, especially when you talk about being hungry or full of food.
a full/empty belly; put [something] in your belly
- 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.
- 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.
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.
the belly of [something]
- 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.
- 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.
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.
to belly out; to belly [something] out
- 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.
- 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.
courage or will to do something
The courage or strong wish you need to do something hard or scary.
have the belly for [something]; not have the belly for [something]
- 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.
- 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.
- Base: belly
- Plural: bellies
- Base: belly
- 3rd Person Singular: bellies
- Present Participle: bellying
- Past: bellied
belly button
1navel; small mark on belly
The small round mark in the middle of your belly; your navel.
- 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
1dance using belly and hips
A kind of dance from the Middle East where dancers move their belly and hips in special ways.
- 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
1loud, deep, hearty laugh
A very loud and strong laugh that shakes your body.
- 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
1central, dangerous part of something
The most central and dangerous part of a powerful or bad place or system.
- 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
1eat until your stomach is full
To eat enough food so that you are full.
- 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
1strong drive or passion inside
A very strong feeling that makes you want to work hard or fight for something.
- 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
1to fail completely or go broke
For a business, plan, or project to fail completely and stop working, often because of money problems.
- 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
1to be completely fed up
To have had so much of something that you are very tired of it or angry about it.
- 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
1round, sticking-out belly
A round belly that sticks out, especially on an adult.
- 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
1Large stomach from drinking beer
A big stomach that some people get from drinking a lot of beer.
- 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
1jump into water flat on belly
To jump into water and hit it flat with your belly, which usually hurts.
- 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
2Painful flat stomach dive into water
When you jump into water and land flat on your stomach, making a big splash and feeling pain.
- He did a belly flop into the pool by mistake.
- Her belly flop made everyone laugh.