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
Sprawled out and his belly up, Chevy stared up at the ceiling.
—
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Doing so might risk being sued by 401(k) investors in the future if their crypto investment goes belly up, Chao said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 May 2025
George Wendt, who bellied up to the bar to portray the beer-quaffing everyman Norm Peterson for all 11 seasons of the fabled NBC sitcom Cheers, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
But one of the best ways to try the local tipples remains bellying up where they’re made.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2025
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, 7 May 2025
Before Barneys New York went belly up in 2019, what aspiring designer didn’t dream about getting their clothes inside its hallowed marble corridors?
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 20 May 2025
In October 2007, Ben Ammar bought indie distributor Eagle Pictures, which had gone belly up.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 6 May 2025
Lara’s also detailed how insurance companies are assessed if the FAIR Plan goes belly up.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 21 Mar. 2025
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Doing so might risk being sued by 401(k) investors in the future if their crypto investment goes belly up, Chao said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 May 2025
George Wendt, who bellied up to the bar to portray the beer-quaffing everyman Norm Peterson for all 11 seasons of the fabled NBC sitcom Cheers, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
But one of the best ways to try the local tipples remains bellying up where they’re made.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2025
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, 7 May 2025
Before Barneys New York went belly up in 2019, what aspiring designer didn’t dream about getting their clothes inside its hallowed marble corridors?
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 20 May 2025
In October 2007, Ben Ammar bought indie distributor Eagle Pictures, which had gone belly up.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 6 May 2025
Lara’s also detailed how insurance companies are assessed if the FAIR Plan goes belly up.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly up
Verb
-
The internal affairs probe was closed because Pearson was not an NYPD employee at the time of the accusations.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The Chicago Youth Symphony will close the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage Saturday evening.—
Lily Carey,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Surveillance video appears to show a man in a white shirt — later identified by cops as Mora Nunez — get off the moped and approach them from behind, gun in hand.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
25 July 2025
-
Mills are seeing clients approach the season with a sense of cautious optimism.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
The pre-Biden guidelines, drawing on economic analysis applied by agency economists, provided key information for the private sector on how the DOJ and the FTC would assess potential mergers in applying Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act.—
Alden Abbott,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Leeds were held to a 1-1 draw on Saturday in their penultimate pre-season game against Spanish top-flight side Villarreal.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The closer ended up throwing two innings to finish off the game, despite the Twins carrying a five-run lead into the ninth inning, perhaps a sign of how important Tuesday’s game was with the trade deadline nearing.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
23 July 2025
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Congress could still act to reduce a 28% spike in premiums on Colorado’s individual health-insurance marketplace next year, but time is running short as open enrollment nears.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Now entering his eighth year in the league, Dončić’s transformation comes at a time when he’s viewed more as a veteran than a wunderkind on a team that came up short of Lakers fans’ ever-lofty high expectations after their first-round playoff loss in May.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
People.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Weiss came up with the phrase as many international aid groups saw their budgets cut dramatically by the Trump administration with accusations of being wasteful yet did not speak up to defend the programs that came to a halt.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belly up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20up. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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