Stomach is a common English word with several related but distinct meanings. It can refer to part of the body, the food-digesting organ, a feeling of appetitea desire to eat food; hunger or eagerness, a willingness to face something unpleasantcausing discomfort, dislike, or a bad feeling, or the verb meaning to tolerateto allow or put up with something without objecting or accept something.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈstʌmək/
Easy pronunciation: STUM-uk (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable.
Noun meaning the food-digesting organ in the body.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Stomach Meaning
the organ that breaks down food in your body
Part of speech: noun
Definition: the food-digesting organ in the body
Example: She had a stomach ache after lunch.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- breadbasket — Informal term for the stomach as an organ, though less common than the main term.
- tum — British informal word for the stomach.
- tummy — Informal word, often used with children.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Stomach
Meaning 2
the front middle part of your body below the chest
Part of speech: noun
Definition: the region of the body between the chest and the pelvis
Example: He felt a pain in his stomach after the fall.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- abdomen — Standard anatomical term for this body region.
- belly — Common informal word.
- venter — Formal or technical term.
Meaning 3
a desire to eat
Part of speech: noun
Definition: an appetite for food
Example: The hike gave her a good stomach for dinner.
Meaning 4
a willingness to face something hard or unpleasant
Part of speech: noun
Definition: an inclination or liking for things involving conflict or difficulty or unpleasantness
Example: He had no stomach for a fight.
Meaning 5
to be able to eat something without feeling sick or upset
Part of speech: verb
Definition: bear to eat
Example: I can't stomach spicy food.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- abide — Can work in the sense of tolerating something unpleasant, but it is less direct for food.
- bear — Works as 'bear something' in the sense of enduring or tolerating it.
- brook — More formal and less common.
- digest — Related in meaning, but usually refers to processing food rather than tolerating it.
- endure — Works for tolerating unpleasant food, though it is broader in use.
- put up — As in 'put up with' something unpleasant.
- stand — Common in the sense of 'can stand' something unpleasant.
- stick out — Can mean endure, but is less natural here.
- suffer — Can mean tolerate, though it is often stronger or more formal.
- support — Possible in the sense of putting up with, but less precise.
- tolerate — Direct synonym in the sense of being able to accept or endure something unpleasant.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Stomach Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- abide
- bear
- endure
- put up
- stand
- suffer
- tolerate
the body region below the chest
- abdomen
- belly
- venter
the digestive organ
- breadbasket
- tum
- tummy
to tolerate or bear something unpleasant
- abide
- bear
- brook
- digest
- endure
- put up
- stand
- stick out
- suffer
- support
- tolerate
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Using stomach only for the body region and forgetting that it can also mean the organ, the appetite for food, or the ability to tolerate something unpleasant.
- Mixing up the noun stomach with the verb stomach.
- Assuming belly is always an exact synonym in formal writing; it is more informal than abdomen.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does stomach mean in simple English?
Stomach can mean the organ that digests food, the area of your body below the chest, a desire to eat, or the ability to tolerate something unpleasant.
What are common synonyms for stomach?
For the body region, common synonyms include abdomen and belly. For the verb, common synonyms include tolerate, endure, and bear. For the organ, informal synonyms include tummy and tum.
Is stomach a noun or a verb?
It is both. As a noun, it can mean the digestive organ, the body area, appetite, or a willingness to face something unpleasant. As a verb, it means to be able to tolerate something or to eat something without feeling sick.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
