belly

belly — noun

1. the soft area at the front of a person's or animal's body, between the chest and

1.nounB1
Definition

the soft area at the front of a person's or animal's body, between the chest and the legs, where food is digested.

Example

Aiko rubbed her belly after eating two large bowls of noodles for lunch.

rub one's belly after eating

The little dog rolled onto its back so Zane could scratch its soft belly.

scratch + animal's belly

Common collocations
  • rub one's belly
  • scratch the belly
  • a full belly
  • an empty belly
  • lie on one's belly
  • pot belly
  • beer belly
Synonyms
  • stomach

    very close in casual use, but technically the digestive organ inside the belly

  • abdomen

    formal or medical equivalent

  • tummy

    very informal, used by or with children

  • gut

    informal, often suggests a large or fat belly

Antonyms
  • back

    the opposite side of the body

Usage Note

Less clinical than 'abdomen' and warmer than 'stomach'; common when speaking about babies, animals, or one's own body in casual settings. In formal writing or medical contexts, prefer 'abdomen'.

Common Mistakes

The doctor examined my belly during the surgery.
The doctor examined my abdomen during the surgery.
use 'abdomen' in medical contexts; 'belly' is informal.
I have stomach in my belly.
My stomach is inside my belly.
'belly' is the outer body area; 'stomach' is the organ inside it.

2. the rounded or bulging section of an object that resembles the curved front of a

2.nounC1
Definition

the rounded or bulging section of an object that resembles the curved front of a body, such as the wide middle of a jar, ship, plane, or guitar.

Example

The cargo was stored deep in the belly of the ship during the long Atlantic crossing.

the belly of the ship

Workers loaded suitcases into the belly of the plane before the morning flight to Tokyo.

the belly of the plane

Common collocations
  • the belly of the ship
  • the belly of the plane
  • the belly of a pot
  • the belly of a guitar
Synonyms
  • bulge

    any rounded swelling, often unwanted

  • hold

    specifically the storage section inside a ship or plane

  • underside

    the lower curve of a plane or animal

Grammar Patterns

the belly of + noun

Usage Note

Almost always used in the pattern 'the belly of [noun]'. Common with vessels (ship, plane, pot, bottle), instruments (guitar, violin), and natural shapes (mountain, cloud). Rarely used as a bare noun in this sense.

Common Mistakes

This pot has a big belly part.
This pot has a wide belly.
'belly' is the rounded part itself, not a 'belly part'.
Idioms

go belly up

idiom

to fail completely, especially when a business or project collapses and stops operating.

The small bookshop on Maple Street went belly up after only one year of trading.

Several local restaurants went belly up when tourist numbers dropped during the pandemic.

belly laugh

idiom

a loud, deep laugh that comes from someone enjoying something very much.

Grandpa let out a huge belly laugh when he saw the puppy chasing its own tail.

Vesna's joke about the talking parrot drew belly laughs from everyone at the table.

fire in one's belly

idiom

a strong inner energy and determination to achieve a goal.

Young Ana ran the marathon with fire in her belly, passing runners twice her age.

The new coach said the team had lost its fire in the belly after three losing seasons.

fire in the/your belly

idiom

A strong feeling of wanting to succeed or achieve something.

Maya has fire in her belly to win the science competition.

Without fire in your belly, you won't finish the marathon.

belly — verb

Word family

  • bellyful
    nounC2
  • bellyache
    nounC1
  • bellyache
    verbC2
  • belly-up
    adjectiveC2
  • potbelly
    nounC1
  • potbellied
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words refer to the front middle of the body, but each has its own register and focus. 'Abdomen' is the formal, medical term used by doctors and in scientific writing — 'a sharp pain in the lower abdomen'. 'Stomach' is everyday and slightly polite, and it doubles as the name of the digestive organ inside, so 'I have a stomach ache' is normal in any setting. 'Belly' sits in casual speech and is warm or playful, fitting for talking about babies, animals, or one's own body — 'the puppy's pink belly'. 'Tummy' is even softer, mainly used by or with young children. 'Gut' is informal and often suggests a large or fat belly, as in 'a beer gut'. Choose the word for your audience: doctor → abdomen; child → tummy; friend at lunch → belly or stomach.

belly ↗stomach ↗abdomentummygut ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • belly button
  • belly dancer
  • belly flop
  • pot belly
  • beer belly
  • pork belly

Adverbs

Phrases

  • lie on one's belly
  • rub the belly
  • fill one's belly

Prepositions

  • in the belly of
  • on one's belly
  • with a belly full of

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

From Old English 'belig', which originally meant a bag, sack, or pouch — especially one made of animal skin used to hold things like grain or wine. Because the human stomach also looks like a soft, swelling bag when full, by around the 13th century English speakers began using 'belig' for the front of the body that contains the digestive organs. The older meaning of 'bag' eventually faded, but it survives in the related word 'bellows' (a bag that pushes air into a fire). The verb senses ('to swell out', 'to crawl on the belly') developed later from the noun.