bellyache

1 of 2

noun

bel·ly·ache ˈbe-lē-ˌāk

Synonyms of bellyache

: pain in the abdomen and especially in the stomach : stomachache

bellyache

2 of 2

verb

bellyached; bellyaching; bellyaches

intransitive verb

: to complain whiningly or peevishly : find fault

bellyacher noun

Examples of bellyache in a Sentence

Noun He ate too much chili and it gave him a bellyache. Verb He was bellyaching about how long it took to get a table at the restaurant. tired of the kids bellyaching every time they're asked to mow the lawn or take out the trash

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Noun

The silence at least gave the crowd space to bellyache and boo. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024

No place to stay Reaching San Antonio, Dieuvena, Banel and Matéo Sebastien slept at the airport, waiting for a flight to Boston, during which time the 4-year-old boy began complaining of a bellyache. —Liam Reilly, CNN, 30 Apr. 2023 Counterpoint When Chrysler swallowed AMC, we flinty-eyed industry observers wondered if Lee Iacocca would end up with a bellyache. —Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 11 Apr. 2023 Just a sweet glide across the land, no bellyache from a jostle. —Arkansas Online, 30 June 2021 Some adverse reactions to look out for can be diarrhea and bellyaches. If your canine (and their stomach) loves the new snack, then great. —Jackie Frere, Woman's Day, 2 Apr. 2019 But rather than bellyache, why not follow the lead of McDonald’s and de-invent them? —Joe Queenan, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2018 With the stadium being mostly privately financed the naysayers are going to have something else to whine and bellyache about. —John Canzano, OregonLive.com, 17 Apr. 2018 The intersection between sports and pop culture in America has existed at least since Babe Ruth’s famous bellyache in 1925. —Ken Belson, New York Times, 15 July 2016

Verb

And the second major benefit to weekly recycling: People finally stop bellyaching about biweekly recycling. —Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2024 Whereas Michael Myers paced calmly in a silly jumpsuit, Lewis bellyached in moody black outfits. —Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 DeSantis hasn’t ceased bellyaching about being outmaneuvered by Disney’s lawyers. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2023 At the heart of the espalier is the stake about which Grenadiers are known to bellyache. —Paul Muldoon, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 All of us have cheated this way before and hopefully didn’t bellyache too loudly when we were called out for it. —Don Yaeger, Forbes, 16 June 2021 But grousing over presidential vacations is a bit of a political charade; Democrats bellyache about Republican presidents taking time off and vice versa, but even a commander in chief needs some downtime. —Stephen Collinson, CNN, 3 June 2021 The city rebranded a different street as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, though not without bellyaching among the citizenry. —Sarah Vowell, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2020 But on a losing team that couldn’t get him the football, Sanders made faces and bellyached. —Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1552, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of bellyache was in 1552

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

belly

bellyache

bellyache-bush

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bellyache.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bellyache. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

bellyache

1 of 2 noun

bel·ly·ache ˈbel-ē-ˌāk

: pain in the abdomen and especially in the stomach : stomachache

bellyache

2 of 2 verb

: to complain in a whining or irritable way

kept bellyaching about the wait

bellyacher noun

Medical Definition

bellyache

noun

bel·ly·ache ˈbel-ē-ˌāk

: pain in the abdomen and especially in the stomach : stomachache

bellyache

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of bellyache in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on bellyache

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

hobbit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Popular in Wordplay

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Popular Features

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Games & Quizzes

bellyache

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of bellyache in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for bellyache

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Share

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on bellyache

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

hobbit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Popular in Wordplay

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Popular Features

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Games & Quizzes