Abdominal refers to anything related to the abdomen, the part of your body between your chest and your hips. Your abdominal region contains important organs like your stomach, intestines, liver, and kidneys.

When doctors talk about abdominal pain, they mean your belly hurts. Athletes do abdominal exercises like sit-ups and planks to strengthen the muscles in this area, often called abs for short. These muscles help you sit up, bend over, and keep your balance.

You might hear about abdominal surgery when doctors need to operate on organs inside the abdomen, or abdominal breathing when someone breathes deeply using their belly rather than just their chest. If you've ever felt butterflies in your stomach before a big performance, you were feeling sensations in your abdominal area.

Your abdominal cavity is the space inside your torso that houses many organs essential for digestion and other vital body functions.