bellying

verb

present participle of belly
1
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point the sails slowly bellied as the wind picked up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in creeping
to move slowly with the body close to the ground recruits were forced to belly over the obstacle course under simulated enemy fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellying
  1. protruding
  2. creeping
  3. poking
  4. sliding
  5. bulging
  6. snaking
  7. crawling
Verb
  • The apartment's one window, protruding from the zinc roof, faces west, putting it in direct sun from midday to dusk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 June 2026
  • All door handles in the ward are metal levers flush with the door, rather than protruding, to prevent patients from using them as ligature points.
    — Ashley Andreou, STAT, 22 June 2026
Definition of protruding
Verb
  • Costs begin creeping higher, margins get a little tighter and profitability comes under pressure.
    — Amy Powell, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • About 1 million 16-to-24-year-olds now find themselves not in employment, education or training, with levels creeping toward highs not seen since the 2008 financial crash.
    — Letters to the Editor, Washington Post, 29 June 2026
Definition of creeping
Verb
  • Calderón, a big, bald man wearing a gold chain and cross-shaped earrings, sat off to the side, amid an entourage of muscular assistants in polo shirts, poking at his phone.
    — Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • If their edges are poking out from your ice sphere, your ice will melt and break apart faster.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2026
Definition of poking
Verb
  • The sequence started with Bosnian defender Stjepan Radeljic sliding in front of a Tillman pass, deflecting it forward toward Muharemovic.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Some providers might work on a sliding fee scale, for example, which adjusts cost based on a patient’s household income and family size.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
Definition of sliding
Verb
  • As the influence of the Daoism of Celestial Masters spread, Zhang Daoling would also come to be seen as a powerful deity in his own right, often depicted with bulging eyes and wearing a red robe, accompanied by a tiger.
    — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani waddled through the clubhouse after the Dodgers’ 4-3 comeback victory against the Padres on Friday night, the bulging ice wraps around his left knee and right arm creating a penguin-like effect to his gait.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of bulging
Verb
  • They were surprised by the line snaking out the door and the $5 cover to get into the hockey dive bar.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
  • Fuel rationing has been introduced in many regions, with hourslong queues of cars snaking beside roads.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of snaking
Verb
  • The Germans were crawling as far as the street, dashing across the asphalt, then leaping into the second trench.
    — Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Jude Cornell joined a swarm of toddlers crawling after soccer balls, tossing training cones into the air and relocating a goalie net that was proving to be very, very portable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Definition of crawling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bellyfuls
bellying
bellying up
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Cite this Entry

“Bellying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellying. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bellying

Nglish: Translation of bellying for Spanish Speakers

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