as in cramps
abdominal pain especially when focused in the digestive organs
eating too many apples will give you a bellyache
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
tired of the kids bellyaching every time they're asked to mow the lawn or take out the trash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bellyache
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellyache
Noun
-
Symptoms can include dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps.—
George Monastiriakos,
Newsweek,
30 Dec. 2024
-
Cases typically last from four to seven days and include such symptoms as abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever.—
George Monastiriakos,
Newsweek,
30 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
For nothing is more European, at least in today’s Europe, than being bullied by Russia while complaining about the United States.—
Dominic Green,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Developers themselves have complained that their companies are not doing enough to weed out harassment online.—
Megan Farokhmanesh,
WIRED,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Physical symptoms of emotional distress (like headaches and stomachaches) is taxed, but physical injuries or sickness is not.—
Robert W. Wood,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Your child shows physical signs of stress like frequent headaches, stomachaches, or changes in appetite.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Parents,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Preston Turano, a veterinarian and spokesperson at Felix Cat Insurance, told Newsweek that yelling, screaming, and physical punishment should never be used when training or communicating with your cat.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Moments after an emphatic two-handed jam in the closing seconds that sealed Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s 68-61 upset of Harvard-Westlake on Friday night in Studio City, Tyran Stokes clenched both fists, turned toward his teammates and screamed at the top of his lungs.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Rather than obediently following instructions, the Labrador made his displeasure known in an unmistakably human-like manner—growling, whining and huffing in defiance while facing his owners.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
-
In a slice of rich irony, OpenAI itself began to whine a couple of weeks ago when a Chinese rival, DeepSeek, garnered sudden attention.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Men writhe and moan in the shadows just out of sight as a young gay man walks through the dark room at Adonis, Copenhagen’s only gay sauna.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Shows that not all football teams need to be Champions League contenders and not all fans need to be moaning about the failings of their club.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bellyache.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellyache. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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