Belch
name, noun, verb ·1 syllable ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 An instance of belching; the sound that it makes.
"The hotel coffee machine gurgles out an acrid belch."
- 2 a reflex that expels gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth wordnet
- 3 Malt liquor. obsolete
"c. 1699, John Dennis, letter to Mr. Collier Porters would no longer be drunk with Belch"
- 1 To expel (gas) from the stomach through the mouth; especially, to do so loudly. ambitransitive
"'Tis not a year or two shows us a man: They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They belch us."
- 2 expel gas from the stomach wordnet
- 3 To eject or emit (something) with spasmodic force or noise. ambitransitive
"Thick smoke belched through the funnels of the steamship."
- 4 become active and spew forth lava and rocks wordnet
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"In some cultures, a resounding belch after a meal is considered a compliment to the chef."
Etymology
From Middle English belchen, from Old English bielċan, from Proto-Germanic *balkijaną, *belkaną, probably ultimately of imitative origin. Related to Dutch balken (“to bray”), Middle Low German belken (“to shout”), Low German bölken (“to shout, bark”), Old English bealċettan (“to utter, send forth”). See also English bolk, boak.
Variant of Balch.
Related phrases
More for "belch"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.