waist
noun /weɪst/
/weɪst/
- the area around the middle of the body between the ribs and the hips, often narrower than the areas above and below
enlarge image- He put his arm around her waist.
- She was paralysed from the waist down (= in the area below her waist).
- The workmen were stripped to the waist (= wearing no clothes on the top half of their bodies).
Homophones waist | wastewaist waste/weɪst//weɪst/- waist noun
- She wore a wide sash around her waist.
- waste verb
- You can't afford to waste time by waiting.
- waste noun
- Doing such a mundane job is a waste of your talent.
- waste adjective
- Waste products from the process can be made into fertilizer.
Collocations Physical appearancePhysical appearanceTopics Bodyb2- A person may be described as having:
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(British English) ginger/grey hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/centre(British English) parting
- a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- narrow
- slender
- slim
- …
- encircle
- height
- about the/somebody’s waist
- around the/somebody’s waist
- round the/somebody’s waist
- …
- from the waist down
- from the waist up
- stripped to the waist
- …
- the part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist
- a skirt with an elasticated waist
- These jeans have a 32-inch waist.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- low
- belted
- …
- measurement
- size
- -waisted(in adjectives) having the type of waist mentioned
- a high-waisted dress
Word Originlate Middle English: apparently representing an Old English word from the Germanic root of the verb wax senses 4 and 5.