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    stomach

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    stomach
    I
    stom‧ach1 S3 W3 /ˈstʌmək/ noun [countable]
     Date: 1300-1400
     Language: Old French
     Origin: estomac, from Latin stomachus 'throat, stomach', from Greek stomachos, from stoma 'mouth'

    1. the organ inside your body where food begins to be digested:
        I was so hungry my stomach hurt.
        His stomach was full of food.
    2. the front part of your body, below your chest:
        He turned round and punched Carlos in the stomach.
    3. do something on an empty stomach to do something when you have not eaten:
        You shouldn’t take the pills on an empty stomach.
    4. turn your stomach to make you feel sick or upset:
        The sight of the slaughtered cow turned my stomach.
    5. have no stomach for a fight/task etc to have no desire to do something difficult, upsetting, or frightening
    6. have a strong stomach to be able to see or do things that are unpleasant without feeling sick or upset:
        Don’t go and see this film unless you have a strong stomach.
         
    COLLOCATIONS
    ■ adjectives
       ▪ full (=full of food) A lot of these children don't know what it is like to have a full stomach.
       ▪ empty (=with no food in) It was 11 o'clock, and my stomach was empty.
       ▪ an upset stomach (=a stomach affected by illness) Debbie was at home because she had an upset stomach.
    ■ stomach + NOUN
       ▪ (a) stomach ache I had terrible stomach ache last night.
       ▪ stomach pains/cramps He complained of acute stomach pains.
       ▪ a stomach bug (=an illness you have caught that affects your stomach) He's off work with a stomach bug.
       ▪ a stomach upset (=when your stomach is affected by illness) The boy had a stomach upset after eating berries from the garden.
       ▪ a stomach ulcer Too much stress can cause stomach ulcers.
       ▪ stomach cancer She was diagnosed with stomach cancer last year.
    ■ verbs
       ▪ somebody's stomach rumbles (=it makes a noise because they are hungry) She felt her stomach rumble.
       ▪ somebody's stomach churns (=they feel sick because they are nervous or frightened) Her stomach was churning with anxiety.
       ▪ somebody's stomach lurches/tightens (=it suddenly feels tight because they are frightened) Her stomach lurched at the thought of leaving Millfield.
       ▪ settle somebody's stomach (=to stop it feeling uncomfortable) The doctor gave me some tablets to settle my stomach.

    II
    stomach2 verb [transitive usually in negatives]
    1. to be able to accept something, especially something unpleasant
       SYN  endure:
        A 26% water rate increase is more than most residents can stomach.
        hard/difficult to stomach
        Rob found Cathy’s attitude hard to stomach.
    2. to eat something without becoming ill:
        I’ve never been able to stomach seafood.