What does "stomach" mean?
An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion.
Stomach
/ˈstʌmək/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion.
- Grammar: stomach is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abdomen, belly, tummy, abatis.
- Useful contrasts: avoidance, buns, craws.
- Usage evidence: My stomach is clenched with hunger.
How to use "stomach"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stomach" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stomach" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stomach" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stomach" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stomach" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abdomen" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stomach", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion. countable, uncountable
"Our stomachs and livers have an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase that breaks down ethanol to make it less toxic for our bodies, said Atlanta gastroenterologist Dr. Preston Stewart."
- 2 an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion wordnet
- 3 The belly. countable, informal, uncountable
"Why did you hit me in the stomach?"
- 4 the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis wordnet
- 5 Pride, haughtiness. obsolete, uncountable
"Sterne was his looke, and full of stomacke vaine, / His portaunce terrible, and stature tall […]"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 an appetite for food wordnet
- 7 An appetite. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"a good stomach for roast beef"
- 8 an inclination or liking for things involving conflict or difficulty or unpleasantness wordnet
- 9 A desire, an appetite (for something abstract). countable, figuratively, uncountable
"I have no stomach for a fight today."
- 10 The part of a garment that covers a person's stomach. countable, uncountable
"[…] Mr. Sedley looking grand, with a crush opera-hat on one side of his head and his hand in the stomach of a voluminous white waistcoat."
Verb
- 1 To tolerate (something), emotionally, physically, or mentally; to stand or handle something. transitive
"I really can’t stomach jobs involving that much paperwork, but some people seem to tolerate them."
- 2 put up with something or somebody unpleasant wordnet
- 3 To be angry. intransitive, obsolete
"Let a man, though never so justly, oppose himself unto them that are disordered in their ways; and what one amongst them commonly doth not stomach at such contradiction, storm at reproof, and hate such as would reform them?"
- 4 bear to eat wordnet
- 5 To resent; to remember with anger; to dislike. obsolete, transitive
"O, my good lord, / Believe not all; or, if you must believe, / Stomach not all."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To turn the stomach of; to sicken or repel. obsolete, transitive
Example
"My stomach is clenched with hunger."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stomach"?
Common synonyms include: abdomen, belly, tummy, abatis, abdomen, abide.
How do you use "stomach" in a sentence?
My stomach is clenched with hunger.
How do you pronounce "stomach"?
Pronounced /ˈstʌmək/.
Etymology
From Middle English stomak, from Old French estomac, from Latin stomachus, from Ancient Greek στόμαχος (stómakhos), from στόμα (stóma, “mouth”). Largely displaced native Old English maga, whence Modern English maw.