noun
belly
BEH-lee
noun
1
The front part of the body between the chest and the hips; the stomach area.
"The puppy rolled over to have its belly rubbed."
"He clutched his belly after eating too much cake."
2
The rounded or bulging part of something, resembling a stomach.
"The plane’s belly scraped the runway during the hard landing."
verb
1
To swell or bulge outward.
"The sail bellied out as the wind picked up."
How to Use Belly
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe stomach area of the body, or any rounded, bulging part of an object.
Common pairings
on your belly
belly ache
belly of the plane
Word Forms
bellied past tense, bellies plural, bellies singular
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Etymology
From Old English bielġ, meaning "bag" or "bulge" — a distant cousin of "bellows," since both descend from a root meaning "to swell up."