potbelly

noun

pot·​bel·​ly ˈpät-ˌbe-lē How to pronounce potbelly (audio)
1
: an enlarged, swollen, or protruding abdomen
2

Examples of potbelly in a Sentence

a man with a potbelly he began exercising to get rid of his growing potbelly and to improve his health
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.
For example, a mid-century handmade potbelly stove ornament doesn’t hang all that far on my tree from an arguably humiliating fifth grade craft project and Snapfish.com creation immortalizing the Germantown neighborhood's now shuttered Come Back Inn. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 18 Dec. 2024 The train car features a sitting area, kitchenette, gas potbelly stove, bathroom and king-sized bed in the bedroom. Celia Fernandez,mickey Todiwala, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2024 The bathroom was an outhouse, and the family relied on a potbelly stove for heat. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 5 June 2023 Medieval men did like a potbelly on their women, though. Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, 11 Feb. 2023 The black potbelly pig was also seen off Airport and University Boulevard, the station reported. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 29 Sep. 2022 Ethel Rae Stewart Smith, who taught two dozen black children in that schoolhouse, had run out of coal for the potbelly stove. Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2020 Every room in the original house had a potbelly stove, so every room has a chimney. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2019 Bale also lost weight — and won an Academy Award — for his role as a heroin addict in 2010’s The Fighter, before adding a potbelly for 2013’s American Hustle. Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, 8 Nov. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of potbelly was in 1696

Dictionary Entries Near potbelly

Cite this Entry

“Potbelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potbelly. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

potbelly

noun
pot·​bel·​ly ˈpät-ˌbel-ē How to pronounce potbelly (audio)
1
: an enlarged abdomen or one that bulges outward
2
potbellied
-ˈbel-ēd
adjective

Medical Definition

potbelly

noun
pot·​bel·​ly ˈpät-ˌbel-ē How to pronounce potbelly (audio)
plural potbellies
: an enlarged, swollen, or protruding abdomen
also : a condition characterized by such an abdomen that is symptomatic of disease or malnourishment

More from Merriam-Webster on potbelly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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