bellyache

Meanings

nounbellyache (plural bellyaches)

Any pain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen.
Eating too much candy can give you a bellyache.
Synonyms: stomachache, tummyache

verbbellyache (third-person singular simple present bellyaches, present participle bellyaching, simple past and past participle bellyached)

present singular third person bellyaches · participle present bellyaching · participle past bellyached · past bellyached

figurativelyinformalintransitiveTo unnecessarily complain or whine, often about simple matters.
Quit bellyaching about the problem and help us fix it.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAny pain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen.

Similar

stomachache tummyache

More synonyms by meaning

nounan ache localized in the stomach or abdominal region

Similar

stomachache stomach ache gastralgia

Broader

ache aching

verbcomplain

Broader

complain kick plain

Also see

beef bemoan bitch collywobbles complain crab gastralgia gripe grouch grouse holler moan pinch snivel squawk stomachache tummyache

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From belly + ache.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian ко́лики, мрънкам

ко́лики (kóliki)pain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
мрънкам (mrănkam)To complain or whine, especially needlessly
оплаквам се (oplakvam se)To complain or whine, especially needlessly

Czech bolest břicha

bolest břichapain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

Danish mavepine

mavepinepain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

Dutch buikpijn, zeuren

buikpijnpain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
zeurenTo complain or whine, especially needlessly
flauw doenTo complain or whine, especially needlessly

Esperanto ventrodoloro

ventrodoloropain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

Finnish vatsakipu, mahakipu

vatsakipupain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
mahakipupain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

French mal au ventre

mal au ventrepain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

German Bauchschmerzen, Bauchweh

Bauchschmerzenpain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
Bauchwehpain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
herumstänkernTo complain or whine, especially needlessly
motzenTo complain or whine, especially needlessly

Greek στομαχόπονος, πονόκοιλος

στομαχόπονος (stomachóponos)pain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
πονόκοιλος (ponókoilos)pain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

Hungarian hasfájás, nyavalyog

hasfájáspain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
nyavalyogTo complain or whine, especially needlessly

Italian mal di pancia

mal di panciapain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

Māori ngaupuku, komekome

ngaupukupain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
komekomeTo complain or whine, especially needlessly

Norwegian Bokmål jamre seg, sutre

jamre segTo complain or whine, especially needlessly
sutreTo complain or whine, especially needlessly

Portuguese dor de barriga

dor de barrigapain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

Russian бо́ль в животе́, ко́лики

бо́ль в животе́ (bólʹ v životé)pain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
ко́лики (kóliki)pain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
ныть (nytʹ)To complain or whine, especially needlessly
скулить (skulitʹ)To complain or whine, especially needlessly

Spanish dolor de barriga, renegar

dolor de barrigapain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen
renegarTo complain or whine, especially needlessly

Swedish magont

magontpain in the belly, stomach, or abdomen

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Beychella

Cite this entry

APA

bellyache. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bellyache

MLA

“bellyache.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bellyache. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bellyache,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bellyache.

Source: bellyache on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.