bellying up

verb

present participle of belly up
as in coming up
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 bellying up 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 Across the river, Le Crocodile at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn brings a stylish, approachable scene for bellying up and indulging in sexy French cuisine. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026 Swashbucklers, scoundrels, bandits and buccaneers will soon be bellying up to the bar inside a lively new pirate pub at Walt Disney World that’s already booked solid for the first two months and promises to be a must-have reservation for visitors. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellying up
  1. coming up
  2. drawing on
  3. closing in
  4. approaching
  5. closing
  6. coming
Verb
  • The team previously had announced a Doja Cat concert – scheduled the same night as Game 2 of the WNBA Finals coming up Monday – would be moved if Golden State got that far.
    — Jill Martin, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But the show already had a natural stopping point coming up that would be appropriate, storytelling-wise.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of coming up
Verb
  • Giving Martian soils a common language The new research work introduces the term ‘areths’ for Martian soil classes, drawing on Ares, the Greek name for Mars.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Another creation, the carrot bamboo, brings together vermouth, gin, manzanilla sherry, carrot, yuzu, and shiso, drawing on flavors from both Europe and Asia.
    — Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of drawing on
Verb
  • The original Bay Theater opened down the road on Sunset Boulevard in 1949 before closing in 1978.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The theater’s vintage-looking sign is a nod to the community’s historic Bay Theatre, which stood nearby on Sunset Boulevard until closing in 1978.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of closing in
Verb
  • In his incident report, Garner said another officer activated a Taser's electrical arc to try to scare HeeHaw away, but the donkey continued approaching.
    — CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Surveillance footage showed Alfozan approaching the conference room on several occasions despite lacking authorization to enter or participate in meetings there.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of approaching
Verb
  • Ways to help control electricity use To control electricity use in the heat, the DWP recommends setting air conditioners to 78 degrees, closing curtains during peak sun hours and using fans to circulate air.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Their only run came on an infield groundout in the sixth, and Tampa Bay's bullpen locked down the final six outs without breaking a sweat, capped by Bryan Baker closing it out in the ninth.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of closing
Verb
  • In a matter of weeks, when the midterm results are tallied and the next campaign begins, Democrats with presidential dreams know the question will be coming.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Rice could return in the coming week after suffering a strained hamstring.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of coming

Browse Nearby Words

bellying
bellying up
belly-land
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bellying up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellying%20up. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All