bellyaching

verb

present participle of bellyache
as in complaining
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bellyaching All year long, there’s been a lot of bellyaching over the creative liberties that Christopher Nolan (The Odyssey), Zach Cregger (Resident Evil) and the Lanterns team took with their respective adaptations. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 Public bellyaching sessions — sorry, hearings — have already begun, and the next ones will be held on May 2, 4, and 28. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 30 Apr. 2026 The phrase on the front led the group to burst into a bellyaching laughter. — Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026 So stop the bleating and bellyaching over Bronzeville. — Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026 But alas, developers Game Freak have opted to improve the aesthetics just enough to skirt online bellyaching rather than making any attempt to wow fans. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellyaching
  1. complaining
  2. screaming
  3. whining
  4. moaning
Verb
  • That March, a seventy-year-old patient from a wealthy Cypriot family, Evie Lanitis, arrived at BioMed, complaining of a host of minor maladies, including bursitis in her toes, dental pain, and digestive issues.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • This was the first opportunity, Ubovic said, to do something tangible, instead of just complaining.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • Warren joked, as several audience members had been screaming to hear his hit during his set.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Four pledges at a Texas State University fraternity were arrested on Tuesday after an 18-year-old was allegedly forced into a pickup truck and heard screaming, according to police.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of screaming
Verb
  • While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Dogs may actually improve our sleep habits by forcing us to adjust to consistent bedtime schedules — as anyone with a sleepy, whining dog can confirm.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of whining
Verb
  • It's been a big few months for Austin Abrams moaning and groaning his way through some of the worst situations imaginable.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of moaning

Browse Nearby Words

bellyaches
bellyaching
belly flop
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bellyaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellyaching. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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