belly up

See also: belly-up

English

Alternative forms

• belly-up

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

belly up (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) Dead or defunct.

   After several financial failures, the organization went belly up.

Usage notes

• Often used with go, went, or turn.

Related terms

• go belly-up
• tits up

Verb

belly up (third-person singular simple present bellies up, present participle bellying up, simple past and past participle bellied up)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To gather close, or approach eagerly or assertively, as a bar for ordering alcoholic drinks.

   He bellied up to the bar as soon as he saw a free stool.

2. (intransitive) To die; to fail or go out of business.
3. (intransitive, of a dog) To lay on the back with its belly up.

Derived terms

• belly up to the bar