as in to close
to come near or nearer
belly up to the buffet table and help yourselves
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Recent Examples of belly 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
For the best seat in the house, request the chef's table that bellies up to the kitchen.
—Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 16 Jan. 2026
Wilding eventually rebranded a taproom in the River North Art District with the Great Divide name, so Denverites can still belly up without traveling to the suburbs.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Wu compared the current state of the industry to the internet era before the dot-com bubble, when a host of firms went belly up but the technology reoriented the economy and established corporate giants.
—ABC News, 22 Nov. 2025
Knott’s Scary Farm visitors who belly up to the bar at the Calico Saloon can shout requests to a ghost pianist who plays everything from Ragtime masterpieces to summery pop hits by Katy Perry during the annual Halloween seasonal event.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
The hilarious clip, shared on Monday under the username @caragamblee, shows the pup sleeping on the bed with his belly up and his paws stretched out, all while resting his head on the pillow.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
In 1998, hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management was bailed out after its highly leveraged bets on bond arbitrage went belly up after the Russian debt default.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
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
For the best seat in the house, request the chef's table that bellies up to the kitchen.
—Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 16 Jan. 2026
Wilding eventually rebranded a taproom in the River North Art District with the Great Divide name, so Denverites can still belly up without traveling to the suburbs.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Wu compared the current state of the industry to the internet era before the dot-com bubble, when a host of firms went belly up but the technology reoriented the economy and established corporate giants.
—ABC News, 22 Nov. 2025
Knott’s Scary Farm visitors who belly up to the bar at the Calico Saloon can shout requests to a ghost pianist who plays everything from Ragtime masterpieces to summery pop hits by Katy Perry during the annual Halloween seasonal event.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
The hilarious clip, shared on Monday under the username @caragamblee, shows the pup sleeping on the bed with his belly up and his paws stretched out, all while resting his head on the pillow.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
In 1998, hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management was bailed out after its highly leveraged bets on bond arbitrage went belly up after the Russian debt default.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly up
Verb
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This could mean that it never gets done, and the center remains closed indefinitely.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Khelif did not compete in an international boxing tournament in the Netherlands last summer after failing to register in time before the applications closed.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As Farthing was assisting in traffic control, a man approached him from behind and stabbed him in the back, sheriff's office spokesperson Kim Peters said in a news release.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Feb. 2026
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And now, as the Super Bowl approaches, that pride is about to reach an even bigger stage.—
Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The collaboration between Fincantieri and Generative Bionics also holds strategic importance in strengthening European technological sovereignty by drawing on expertise developed across research institutions and the advanced industrial supply chain.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
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Arguably the first collection of lyrical essay writing about the California desert, Austin drew on her travels through the Owens Valley and environs, covering mining, the Shoshone tribe, weather and water.—
Mark Athitakis,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As court proceedings have begun, some of those documents will be coming unsealed, including the affidavit.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Feb. 2026
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Any future erosion would have to come overwhelmingly from one of two places.—
Craig Gilbert,
jsonline.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Boston Dynamics is nearing the end of its testing cycle for its Atlas humanoid ‘research version’, with a final acrobatic stress test before moving to its production-ready avatar.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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As its founder nears retirement, Catron decided to buy the business last year.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Noise and airspace concerns often come up when people hear about personal eVTOL aircraft.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Minnesota put 29 shots on Ohio State goaltender Sam Hillebrandt, but came up empty except for Lamb’s wrister from inside the face-off circle.—
Tom Carothers,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belly up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20up. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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