as in plump
having a large protruding abdomen
not surprisingly, the new Hollywood biopic casts a young, athletically trim actor in the role of the paunchy, balding artist
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Recent Examples of paunchy
Unlike castrati of the 17th and 18th centuries — always beardless, and typically tall and paunchy — Mariño is short and lithe, and was already sporting a five o’clock shadow on a recent afternoon walk with Leia, his Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
—
New York Times, 27 May 2022
The father, Alexei Shostakov (played by David Harbour), is now a bearded and paunchy Soviet-era superhero known as Red Guardian, the counterpart of Captain America.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2021
One recent late afternoon, a group of paunchy middle-aged men seated in plastic chairs on the sidewalk debated measures to fight the virus.
—Renata Brito, Anchorage Daily News, 26 May 2020
The puzzled batter swings at the next pitch, grounds it to short, and is astonished to see the paunchy second-base umpire shifting to his right to field the ball, while the shortstop tries to coach his footwork.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 4 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for paunchy
New York Times, 27 May 2022
The father, Alexei Shostakov (played by David Harbour), is now a bearded and paunchy Soviet-era superhero known as Red Guardian, the counterpart of Captain America.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2021
One recent late afternoon, a group of paunchy middle-aged men seated in plastic chairs on the sidewalk debated measures to fight the virus.
—Renata Brito, Anchorage Daily News, 26 May 2020
The puzzled batter swings at the next pitch, grounds it to short, and is astonished to see the paunchy second-base umpire shifting to his right to field the ball, while the shortstop tries to coach his footwork.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 4 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for paunchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paunchy
Adjective
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Ironically, her swollen face looks plump and round despite her partial buccal fat removal — a procedure that extracts the soft pads of tissue found inside the cheeks to create a slimmer face.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
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It’s packed with moisture-boosting ingredients that leave your skin feeling plump, dewy and ready to glow.—
Maria Correa,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Each branch of the military sets its own fitness and grooming standards, with new male Air Force recruits now allowed to have 26 percent body fat, up from 20 percent, and women 36 percent, up from 28 percent.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
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Kennedy has inspired Steak n' Shake to switch back to tallow — which is rendered beef fat — for cooking its fries.—
Sarah Boden,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Perun summoned a potbellied officer from the T.D.F. brigade to the operations center.—
Luke Mogelson,
The New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2024
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What could be more luxurious than checking in without having to wade through a maze of slot machines and a cloud of cigarette smoke, dodging potbellied dudes in tank tops?—
Jay McInerney,
Town & Country,
18 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Paunchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paunchy. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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