waist
Americannoun
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waists
plural
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the part of the body in humans between the ribs and the hips, usually the narrowest part of the torso.
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the part of a garment covering this part of the body.
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the part of a one-piece garment covering the body from the neck or shoulders more or less to the waistline, especially this part of a woman's or child's garment.
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a child's undergarment to which other articles of apparel may be attached.
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the part of an object, especially a central or middle part, that resembles or is analogous to the human waist.
the waist of a violin.
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Nautical. the central part of a ship; that part of the deck between the forecastle and the quarterdeck.
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the constricted portion of the abdomen of certain insects, as a wasp.
noun
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anatomy the constricted part of the trunk between the ribs and hips
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the part of a garment covering the waist
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the middle part of an object that resembles the waist in narrowness or position
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the middle part of a ship
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Also called: centre section. the middle section of an aircraft fuselage
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the constriction between the thorax and abdomen in wasps and similar insects
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of waist
1300–50; Middle English wast, apocopated variant of wastum, Old English wæstm growth, form, figure; akin to wax 2
Explanation
On a human, the waist is the narrowing between the ribs and the hips –- though for many of us, "narrowing" may actually be "expanding." Waist can also refer to the part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist — like the waist (or waistline) of a dress or a jacket. Most likely you know these most common definitions of waist, but did you know that a waist can also be the narrow part of a shoe, or of a violin? Don’t confuse the definition of waist with waste, though the words have the same pronunciation.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Rolando Torres-Pena walking in the unit, with his legs covered by material wrapped around his waist.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Clancy was severely injured in the fall and is now paralyzed from the waist down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Using either BMI or waist circumference provided a better balance between correctly identifying people with obesity and avoiding false-positive diagnoses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
It underwent a £1m transformation over the winter of 2024-2025, the website says, including a new train with waist restraint lap bars for improved comfort and safety.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
My hair hung to my waist, and the ribbon around it had slipped halfway down my back.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Participants were handed a faixa—a long sash to wrap around their waists to protect their spines and give climbers a toehold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Indeed, the collection taps into 1950s-era silhouettes and trends: slim pencil skirts, double-breasted jackets and nipped-in waists.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2025
They climbed onto the roof where they stayed until dawn, the water lapping at their waists, until a neighbor in a row boat finally reached them.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
The former model was visiting her native Australia from her home in the US when she spotted groups of people swivelling wooden hoops around their waists.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2025
That jetty was made of men, a long file of them, six or eight deep, standing up to their knees, their waists, their shoulders, stretching out for five hundred yards through the shallow waters.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
