stomach

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈstʌmək/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈstʌmək/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(stum′ək)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
stom•ach /ˈstʌmək/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Anatomya saclike part of the body where food is stored and partially digested:Her stomach was full.
  2. Anatomythe lower front part of the body, containing the stomach;
    the belly or abdomen:The buttons on his shirt were popping from his fat stomach.
  3. desire;
    inclination;
    liking;
    appetite:[used with a negative word or phrase, or in questions]They have no stomach for all this violence.

v. [~ + object;
used with a negative word or phrase, or in questions]
  1. to endure or tolerate;
    bear:She can't stomach violence.
Idioms
  1. sick to one's stomach, feeling ready to vomit:He felt sick to his stomach and walked quickly to a bathroom.


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
stom•ach  (stum′ək),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Anatomy
    • a saclike enlargement of the alimentary canal, as in humans and certain animals, forming an organ for storing, diluting, and digesting food.
    • such an organ or an analogous portion of the alimentary canal when divided into two or more sections or parts.
    • any one of these sections.
  2. Invertebrates[Zool.]any analogous digestive cavity or tract in invertebrates.
  3. Anatomythe part of the body containing the stomach;
    belly or abdomen.
  4. appetite for food.
  5. desire, inclination, or liking:I have no stomach for this trip.
  6. [Obs.]
    • spirit;
      courage.
    • pride;
      haughtiness.
    • resentment;
      anger.

v.t. 
  1. to endure or tolerate (someone or something):I can't stomach your constant nagging.
  2. [Obs.]to be offended at or resent.
  • Greek stómachos origin, originally, opening; akin to stoma
  • Latin stomachus gullet, stomach
  • Middle English stomak 1300–50
    7. bear, stand, abide, countenance.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stomach /ˈstʌmək/ n
  1. (in vertebrates) the enlarged muscular saclike part of the alimentary canal in which food is stored until it has been partially digested and rendered into chyme
    Related adjective(s): gastric
  2. the corresponding digestive organ in invertebrates
  3. the abdominal region
  4. desire, appetite, or inclination: I have no stomach for arguments
  5. an archaic word for temper
  6. an obsolete word for pride
 vb (transitive; used mainly in negative constructions)
  1. to tolerate; bear: I can't stomach his bragging
  2. to eat or digest: he cannot stomach oysters
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French stomaque, from Latin stomachus (believed to be the seat of the emotions), from Greek stomakhos, from stoma mouth
'stomach' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
abomasum - acid reflux - antacid - belch - belly - belt - borborygmus - breadbasket - bug - butterflies - cardiac - chyme - collywobbles - corset - craw - cud - disgorge - duodenum - dyspepsia - endoscope - eruct - full - fur - gastric - gastric juice - gastric ulcer - gastritis - gastro- - gastrocolic - gastroenteritis - gastrointestinal - gastronomy - gastroscope - gastrula - gizzard - gorge - haggis - heartburn - hiatus hernia - hyperacidity - hypogastrium - inner man - inside - intestine - keep down - knot - lipase - mark - maw - nasogastric
Collocations: my stomach hurts, my stomach is cramping, have an upset stomach (from), more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "stomach" in the title:


Look up "stomach" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "stomach" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.