plural bellies
1
a
: abdomen sense 1a
tickling the toddler's belly
b
: the stomach and its adjuncts
ate till my belly was full
c
: the undersurface of an animal's body
also
: hide from this part
2
a
: an internal cavity : interior
b
: a central place where something is most prevalent, concentrated, or deeply ingrained
… he became the hottest songwriter in Nashville, an antiauthoritarian smack-dab in the belly of the establishment.—Tony Scherman
—often used in the phrase the belly of the beast to refer especially to a dangerous or hostile place or situationMeanwhile, the very best bodies of America are in prison, pumping iron in the belly of the beast.—Robert Lipsyte
3
: appetite for food
4
: a surface or object curved or rounded like a human belly
5
a
: the enlarged fleshy body of a muscle
b
: the part of a sail that swells out when filled with wind
6
bellied; bellying
: to cause to swell or fill out
wind bellying the sails
Cite this Entry
“Belly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.
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