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waistband

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

noun

  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

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.

Murillo said he saw Carillo reach for his waistband as he ran.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

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

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

He stuck the book in his waistband and grasped Meggie’s arm.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

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.