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Glite Dictionary
to belly out

to belly out

7.0
To stick out in a round shape, like a jacket or sail in the wind
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : abultarse
  • Had I grown my belly out of the sheer force of my imagination and unrestrained appetite?

Examples

  • As the balloon was filled with air, it started to belly out, taking on a round shape.

  • The gymnast's midsection belly out as she performed her routine, showcasing her strength and flexibility.

  • You push your belly out as you're breathing in through the nose and it draws the air down low where the magic is.

  • Across the empty field south of his grove, he dragged the animal, careful to move so slowly there would be no chance of the rope's breaking or the car's bellying out.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The dog began to belly out when it saw the food, its stomach rounding as it got excited.

Synonyms

to pop out
vsto belly out
21 3.1

To come out quickly from a surface or container

describes general rounded swelling that is not necessarily sudden
to bloat
vsto belly out
19 4.9

To become swollen because of gas or fluid

is general outward swelling not limited to internal fluids or gases
to distend
vsto belly out
12 8.2

To swell because of pressure inside, for example a stomach or a balloon

is general outward swelling without implying internal pressure
to bulge
vsto belly out
7 2.9

To swell so that part of something sticks out

uses a body-related image rather than a neutral physical label
to belly
vsto belly out
6 7.0

To swell outward and form a rounded bulge from pressure

is general outward swelling not implying a pressure response
to puff out
vsto belly out
5 3.5

To make something larger by filling with air or pride

is broader covering any rounded swelling not just air filled expansion
to bulge out
vsto belly out
3 3.7

To stick out in a round shape, like a pocket or balloon

has the same sense but uses a body-related informal image
to bulk
vsto belly out
1 5.4

To stick out or swell in a visible way

is general rounded swelling not focused on how noticeable it is

Antonyms

to flatten
23 2.6

Make something flat and smooth by pressing it

to deflate
18 3.1

To let air out of something so it becomes smaller or loses its shape

How Severe

laparocele
  • Specialized
9.9
hernia
  • Specialized
42 5.6
to belly out
7.0

Surface Forms

belly out infinitive
bellyed out past
bellyed out past participle
bellying out present participle
bellies out third person singular

Morphology

belly + out

The sense 'to swell or bulge outward' is directly composed from 'belly' (a rounded or bulging part) plus 'out' (away from the interior), so the overall meaning is predictable from the constituents. This is a straightforward motion/shape composition common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Belly out comes from the picture of a belly or a sail pushed out by wind or air, making a round shape that sticks out. So, when something bellies out, it means it 'bulges' outward, like a jacket in a strong breeze.