belly up

verb

Definition of belly upnext
as in to close
to come near or nearer belly up to the buffet table and help yourselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belly up Topline Google agreed to pay $10 million for an enormous trove of business data from bankrupt Spirit Airlines—raising questions about what happens to privacy after a company goes belly up and AI swoops in. — Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 And then, suddenly, a male orca soared into view, belly up, and smashed his head into the dead fish. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026 Snorkel with turtles in the Tobago Cays; relax on Canouan’s Godahl Beach; or belly up to Basil’s Bar on Mustique. — Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026 Dominick’s, a nearly century-old company that once had some 70-plus outlets across Chicagoland, went belly up at the end of 2013 as competition from independents and chains took its toll. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 The new place has a bar to belly up to, a beat-up car for families and kids to play in and pose for the 'Gram and TikTok, and colorful neon signs. — Charlie D'agata, CBS News, 10 June 2026 The store went belly up in a few short years as the Great Depression hit. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026 The private patio space off of the living room bellies up to the beach, where two sunbeds and an umbrella are set up for sunset happy hours. — Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 24 Feb. 2026 Once called ''the funniest woman on TV,'' Catherine O'Hara spends much of her time these days bellying up against a snooker table at the Squeeze Club, a Toronto juice bar and pool hall. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly up
  1. close
  2. approach
  3. draw on
  4. come
  5. near
  6. come up
Verb
  • Initial results are expected to begin coming in shortly after polls close, with additional results expected after voting ends in the Central time zone.
    — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • With two weeks remaining until the summer transfer window SLAMS SHUT (or simply closes), Chelsea are set to be typically busy.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of close
Verb
  • The pilots would not have been able to even see that airplane approaching them.
    — Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Madrid had also approached him but the 30-year-old Spain captain preferred a move to the Camp Nou.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of approach
Verb
  • The team drew on expertise from astronomy, using telescope technology and adaptive optics to compensate for atmospheric turbulence and precisely collect and control the light.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The production filmed at Berry Gordy’s first mansion and the Detroit Masonic Temple, while also drawing on local crews and talent.
    — Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of draw on
Verb
  • As for Joe Musgrove’s next opportunity, that will come Thursday for Triple-A El Paso for Oklahoma City.
    — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Menon came aboard on July 14, making the trip on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft along with cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of come
Verb
  • As the war neared six months old, the two sides were not exchanging fire but also not pursuing peace talks.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Monken is nearing a decision on whether to start Watson, who due to injuries and an NFL suspension, has started just 19 games for Cleveland since 2022 or go with Sanders, the wildly popular fifth-round pick who showed potential last season.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of near
Verb
  • No, what’s so funny is that this is the first time that’s ever come up.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of sending an account executive to smooth things over, Dibrov booked a red-eye flight himself, showed up in person, and talked the customer back into the relationship by coming up with a plan to resolve any technical issues.
    — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of come up

Browse Nearby Words

belly laughs
belly up
belong
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belly up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20up. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All