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Synonyms

waistband

American  
[wayst-band, -buhnd] / ˈweɪstˌbænd, -bənd /

noun

  • waistbands
    plural
  1. a band encircling the waist, especially as a part of a skirt or pair of trousers.


waistband British  
/ ˈweɪstˌbænd /

noun

  1. an encircling band of material to finish and strengthen a skirt or trousers at the waist

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of waistband

First recorded in 1575–85; waist + band 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.

See Examples For:

The waistband was high enough to give crush his lungs, but that didn't stop him recreating the video's fluid, technically-challenging choreography on stage.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026

And then, they show one agent removing Pretti’s licensed handgun—which he was carrying in compliance with state law—from his waistband.

From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2026

The wings were born, attached to a wide elastic waistband Equihua had from a former project.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025

Participants wore waistband pedometers to track physical activity and underwent PET scans to measure amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles in the brain.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2025

I jammed the gloves and pictures under the waistband of my shorts, then reached for the rest of the buttons with shaking fingers.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

The cuffs and waistbands that form a snug seal around a baby’s legs and waist are called the gasketing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

So we sink into the couch, plates on laps, clothed in pants with elastic waistbands.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025

"Our widening waistbands are also placing significant burden on our health service," he said in an opinion piece for the Telegraph.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2024

Leather belts on trousers were sewn in, replacing waistbands, and cinched on the hip: pretty weaves, or plain and sloping.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2024

One bandit splits open waistbands, collars, and cuffs looking for hidden money.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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