belch

American  

[belch] / bɛltʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. to eject stomach gas noisily from the mouth; burp.

2. to emit contents violently, such as a gun, geyser, or volcano.

   The volcano belched ominously while the town was evacuated.

3. to gush forth.

   Fire and smoke belched from the dragon's mouth.

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verb (used with object)

1. to eject (flame, smoke, gas, etc.) violently or in bursts; give forth.

   The house had a chimney belching smoke.

noun

1. an ejection of stomach gas from the mouth.

2. a violent emittance of flame, smoke, gas, etc.

belch British  

/ bɛltʃ /

verb

1. (usually intr) to expel wind from the stomach noisily through the mouth; eructate

2. to expel or be expelled forcefully from inside

   smoke belching from factory chimneys

3. to say (curses, insults, etc) violently or bitterly

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noun

1. an act of belching; eructation

Usage

What does belch mean? A belch is the often noisy instance of stomach gas being released through the mouth. It often happens after you eat or especially after you drink a bubbly drink like soda.Belch can also be used as a verb meaning to release gas in such a way, as in I belched right in the middle of the meeting—it was so embarrassing. Belching is common and normal, but it’s often considered rude to belch in public, especially to do so loudly. It’s typically considered the polite thing to do to try to cover up a belch.A synonym for both the noun and verb sense of belch is burp, which is more informal. The technical medical term for belching or a belch is eructation. The verb form of this is eruct.Belch is also sometimes used in a figurative way in the context of a thing releasing gas or air or something else, especially in a messy way. A volcano can be said to belch out fumes (and such fumes can be said to be belching out of it).Example: My grandfather loved to conclude his dinner by unleashing a loud belch to signal his satisfaction.

Other Word Forms

• belcher noun
• outbelch verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of belch

First recorded before 1000; Middle English belchen, Old English bealcettan; cognate with Dutch balken, belken to bray; perhaps extended form akin to bell ², bellow

Example Sentences

Hence it all but backtracking on its emissions reductions and climate change mitigation goals, just so users can belch out more fake, dangerously misleading images and videos.

From Slate • Oct. 28, 2024

One woman, doctors wrote, was “unable to voluntarily belch along with her childhood friends when this was a popular game.”

From Salon • Sep. 8, 2024

And cows belch methane that’s far worse for the climate.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2024

You can’t shower, and microgravity prevents digestive gases from rising out of the stew of other juices in your stomach and intestines, making it hard to belch without barfing.

From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2023

The rest of the kids tightened their stomachs, opened their mouths, and tried to figure out how to explain a belch.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

• emit
• gush