midriff

/ˌmɪˈdrɪf/

Other forms: midriffs

Your midriff is your belly. Wearing a shirt that shows off your midriff might be banned at your school.

The center of your body's front side, generally the area under your ribcage and above your waist or hips, can be called the midriff. This noun is sometimes used as a substitute for belly or waist, especially when someone is wearing clothes that deliberately expose this area. Your bikini reveals your midriff, but your winter coat covers your midriff. In Old English, the word was midhrif, from hrif, "belly."

Definitions of midriff

1. noun

   the middle area of the human torso (usually in front)
   synonyms: middle, midsection

   type of:

   area, region

   a part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve
2. noun

   (anatomy) a muscular partition separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities; functions in respiration
   synonyms: diaphragm

   type of:

   membrane, tissue layer

   a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants

   muscle system, muscular structure, musculature

   the muscular system of an organism