waist
Americannoun
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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
- waistless adjective
Etymology
Origin of waist
1300–50; Middle English wast, apocopated variant of wastum, Old English wæstm growth, form, figure; akin to wax 2
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.
UBT251 led to a mean weight loss of 19.7% after 24 weeks of treatment and also improved patients’ waist circumference, blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipids relative to placebo, the companies said.
From Barron's
Patients also showed improvements relative to placebo on key secondary goals of the trial including waist circumference, blood glucose and blood pressure, they added.
His designs created a flattering silhouette, with cinched belts at the waist and structured shoulders heavily peppered across the collection.
From BBC
A gun is holstered by the man’s waist, positioned at the front of his body and easily visible.
From Los Angeles Times
He wrapped the towel around his waist and went for the phone in his parents’ bedroom.
From Literature
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.
