The stomach is the internal organ that digests our food. It’s in the centre of the body. It’s often referred to as ‘belly’ or ‘tummy’. The plural is ‘stomachs’.

stomach idioms list

Let’s look at some body idioms that contain the word ‘stomach’.

  • beer belly
    meaning – a big stomach due to eating/drinking too much
    example – We need to go on a diet after our holiday. We’ve got beer bellies.
  • can’t stomach someone/something
    meaning – dislike, hate, can’t tolerate
    example – I can’t stomach that new boy in our class, he’s rude and obnoxious.
  • cast-iron stomach
    meaning – can eat weird and wonderful food and not feel sick
    example – I thought I had a cast iron stomach, but I was violently sick for the first 6 days of my holiday.
  • eyes bigger than one’s belly
    meaning – take more food than you can eat
    example – We always have eyes bigger than our bellies when we go to sushi restaurants.
  • go belly up
    meaning – go spectacularly wrong
    example – My new business venture went belly up in the first 6 months. I’m back working in a factory.
  • hard/difficult to stomach
    meaning – hard to accept something that is wrong/unpleasant
    example – Watching children beg on the street is hard to stomach.
  • have butterflies in one’s stomach
    meaning – your stomach feels funny because you are scared, nervous, anxious etc.
    example – I had butterflies this morning, but they went just before the exam.
  • haven’t got the stomach for something
    meaning – not brave enough to do something unpleasant or daring
    example – I couldn’t be a surgeon; I haven’t got the stomach for it.
  • turn one’s stomach
    meaning – make you feel sick/disgusted
    example – Our stomachs were turning on the rollercoaster.

stomach idioms list with pictures

Here’s some real life picture examples.

idiomatic expressions with body parts - stomach
belly idioms - beer belly meaning
common stomach idioms and expressions in English - can't stomach
common stomach idioms and expressions in English - cast-iron stomach
belly idioms - eyes bigger than one’s belly meaning
belly idioms - go belly up meaning
common stomach idioms and expressions in English - hard to stomach
common stomach idioms and expressions in English - have butterflies in one’s stomach meaning
common stomach idioms and expressions in English - haven't got the stomach for
common stomach idioms and expressions in English - turn one's stomach - turn one's stomach

You can download a table of ‘stomach’ idioms and expressions below.

If you’ve enjoyed this page, don’t forget to check out some more body idioms by clicking on the links below.