Waste vs. Waist — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on October 12, 2023
Waste is unused remains, while Waist is the body part above hips.
Difference Between Waste and Waist
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Waste refers to materials that are no longer useful or wanted, often the byproduct of some process or action. On the other hand, Waist is a specific part of the human anatomy, located between the hips and the chest.
Waste can be physical, like garbage, or abstract, such as a waste of time. Waist, however, only pertains to the body, denoting a particular region that can be measured for clothing or described in terms of health and fitness. While we strive to reduce our waste for environmental reasons, many aim to reduce their waist size for aesthetic or health purposes.
The two words, though sounding similar, serve distinct functions in language; one describing disposables and the other, a bodily dimension.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Unused remains
Body part above hips
Part of Speech
Noun (usually)
Noun
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Example Usage
"Waste disposal"
"30-inch waist"
Associated Phrases
"Waste of time"
"Tighten one's waistbelt"
Synonyms
Rubbish, trash
Midriff, middle
Compare with Definitions
Waste
Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use.
Waist
The narrow part of a garment, typically near the body's middle.
The dress cinches at the waist.
Waste
Use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose
We can't afford to waste electricity
I don't use the car, so why should I waste precious money on it?
Waist
The middle section or part.
The waist of the bottle is slim.
Waste
(of a person or a part of the body) become progressively weaker and more emaciated
She was visibly wasting away
Waist
The part of the body between ribs and hips.
He wore a belt around his waist.
Waste
Devastate or ruin (a place)
He seized their cattle and wasted their country
Waist
A garment's part covering the waist.
The waist of her shirt was stained.
Waste
(of time) pass away
The years were wasting
Waist
Measurement around the narrowest part of one's torso.
She has a 28-inch waist.
Waste
(of a material, substance, or by-product) eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process
Ensure that waste materials are disposed of responsibly
Plants produce oxygen as a waste product
Waist
The waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On people with slim bodies, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso.
Waste
(of an area of land, typically an urban one) not used, cultivated, or built on
A patch of waste ground
Waist
The part of the human body below the ribs and above the hips, often narrower than the areas above and below
The last time you had a waist was around 1978
He put an arm around her waist
Waste
An act or instance of using or expending something carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose
It's a waste of time trying to argue with him
They had learned to avoid waste
Waist
A narrow part in the middle of something, such as a violin or hourglass.
Waste
Unwanted or unusable material, substances, or by-products
Nuclear waste
Hazardous industrial wastes
Waist
A blouse or bodice.
Waste
A large area of barren, typically uninhabited land
The icy wastes of the Antarctic
Waist
The part of the human trunk between the bottom of the rib cage and the pelvis.
Waste
Damage to an estate caused by an act or by neglect, especially by a life tenant.
Waist
The narrow part of the abdomen of an insect.
Waste
To use, consume, spend, or expend thoughtlessly or carelessly.
Waist
The part of a garment that encircles the waist of the body.
Waste
To cause to lose energy, strength, or vigor; exhaust, tire, or enfeeble
Disease wasted his body.
Waist
The upper part of a garment, extending from the shoulders to the waistline, especially the bodice of a dress.
Waste
To fail to take advantage of or use for profit; lose
Waste an opportunity.
Waist
(Archaic) A blouse.
Waste
To destroy completely
The invaders wasted the village.
Waist
The middle section or part of an object, especially when narrower than the rest.
Waste
(Slang) To kill; murder.
Waist
(Nautical) The middle part of the upper deck of a ship between the forecastle and the quarterdeck.
Waste
To lose energy, strength, weight, or vigor; become weak or enfeebled
Wasting away from an illness.
Waist
(anatomy) The part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach.
Waste
To pass without being put to use
Time is wasting.
Waist
A part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist.
Waste
The act or an instance of wasting or the condition of being wasted
A waste of talent.
Gone to waste.
Waist
The narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects (e.g., bees, ants and wasps).
Waste
A place, region, or land that is uninhabited or uncultivated; a desert or wilderness.
Waist
The middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft.
Waste
A devastated or destroyed region, town, or building; a ruin.
Waist
(nautical) That part of the upper deck of a ship between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.
Waste
An unusable or unwanted substance or material, such as a waste product
Industrial wastes.
Waist
(obsolete) The middle part of anything.
Waste
Something, such as steam, that escapes without being used.
Waist
That part of the human body which is immediately below the ribs or thorax; the small part of the body between the thorax and hips.
I am in the waist two yards about.
Waste
Garbage; trash.
Waist
Hence, the middle part of other bodies; especially (Naut.), that part of a vessel's deck, bulwarks, etc., which is between the quarter-deck and the forecastle; the middle part of the ship.
Waste
The undigested residue of food eliminated from the body; excrement.
Waist
A garment, or part of a garment, which covers the body from the neck or shoulders to the waist line.
Waste
Regarded or discarded as worthless or useless
Waste trimmings.
Waist
A girdle or belt for the waist.
Waste
Used as a conveyance or container for refuse
A waste bin.
Waist
The narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
Waste
Excreted from the body
Waste matter.
Waist
The narrow part of the shoe connecting the heel and the wide part of the sole
Waste
Of material, useless by-products, or damaged, unsaleable products; garbage; rubbish.
Waste
Or urine.
The cage was littered with animal waste.
Waste
A wasteland; an uninhabited desolate region; a wilderness or desert.
Waste
A place that has been laid waste or destroyed.
Waste
A large tract of uncultivated land.
Waste
(historical) The part of the land of a manor (of whatever size) not used for cultivation or grazing, nowadays treated as common land.
Waste
A vast expanse of water.
Waste
A disused mine or part of one.
Waste
The action or progress of wasting; extravagant consumption or ineffectual use.
That was a waste of time!
Her life seemed a waste.
Waste
Large abundance of something, specifically without it being used.
Waste
Gradual loss or decay.
Waste
A decaying of the body by disease; atrophy; wasting away.
Waste
(rare) destruction or devastation caused by war or natural disasters; see "to lay waste".
Waste
(legal) A cause of action which may be brought by the owner of a future interest in property against the current owner of that property to prevent the current owner from degrading the value or character of the property, either intentionally or through neglect.
Waste
(geology) Material derived by mechanical and chemical erosion from the land, carried by streams to the sea.
Waste
Useless and contemptible.
Waste
Uncultivated, uninhabited.
Waste
Barren; desert.
Waste
Rejected as being defective; eliminated as being worthless; produced in excess.
Waste
Superfluous; needless.
Waste
Dismal; gloomy; cheerless.
Waste
Unfortunate; disappointing. en
Waste
(transitive) To devastate; to destroy.
Waste
(transitive) To squander (money or resources) uselessly; to spend (time) idly.
We wasted millions of dollars and several years on that project.
Waste
To kill; to murder.
Waste
(transitive) To wear away by degrees; to impair gradually; to deteriorate; to diminish by constant loss; to use up; to consume; to spend; to wear out.
Waste
(intransitive) To gradually lose weight, weaken, become frail.
Waste
(intransitive) To be diminished; to lose bulk, substance, strength, value etc. gradually.
Waste
(legal) To damage, impair, or injure (an estate, etc.) voluntarily, or by allowing the buildings, fences, etc., to fall into decay.
Waste
Desolate; devastated; stripped; bare; hence, dreary; dismal; gloomy; cheerless.
The dismal situation waste and wild.
His heart became appalled as he gazed forward into the waste darkness of futurity.
Waste
Lying unused; unproductive; worthless; valueless; refuse; rejected; as, waste land; waste paper.
But his waste words returned to him in vain.
Not a waste or needless sound,Till we come to holier ground.
Ill day which made this beauty waste.
Waste
Lost for want of occupiers or use; superfluous.
And strangled with her waste fertility.
Waste
To bring to ruin; to devastate; to desolate; to destroy.
Thou barren ground, whom winter's wrath hath wasted,Art made a mirror to behold my plight.
The TiberInsults our walls, and wastes our fruitful grounds.
Waste
To wear away by degrees; to impair gradually; to diminish by constant loss; to use up; to consume; to spend; to wear out.
Until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness.
O, were I ableTo waste it all myself, and leave ye none!
Here condemnedTo waste eternal days in woe and pain.
Wasted by such a course of life, the infirmities of age daily grew on him.
Waste
To spend unnecessarily or carelessly; to employ prodigally; to expend without valuable result; to apply to useless purposes; to lavish vainly; to squander; to cause to be lost; to destroy by scattering or injury.
The younger son gathered all together, and . . . wasted his substance with riotous living.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Waste
To damage, impair, or injure, as an estate, voluntarily, or by suffering the buildings, fences, etc., to go to decay.
Waste
To be diminished; to lose bulk, substance, strength, value, or the like, gradually; to be consumed; to dwindle; to grow less; - commonly used with away.
The time wasteth night and day.
The barrel of meal shall not waste.
But man dieth, and wasteth away.
Waste
To procure or sustain a reduction of flesh; - said of a jockey in preparation for a race, etc.
Waste
The act of wasting, or the state of being wasted; a squandering; needless destruction; useless consumption or expenditure; devastation; loss without equivalent gain; gradual loss or decrease, by use, wear, or decay; as, a waste of property, time, labor, words, etc.
For all this waste of wealth loss of blood.
He will never . . . in the way of waste, attempt us again.
Little wastes in great establishments, constantly occurring, may defeat the energies of a mighty capital.
Waste
That which is wasted or desolate; a devastated, uncultivated, or wild country; a deserted region; an unoccupied or unemployed space; a dreary void; a desert; a wilderness.
All the leafy nation sinks at last,And Vulcan rides in triumph o'er the waste.
The gloomy waste of waters which bears his name is his tomb and his monument.
Waste
That which is of no value; worthless remnants; refuse. Specifically: Remnants of cops, or other refuse resulting from the working of cotton, wool, hemp, and the like, used for wiping machinery, absorbing oil in the axle boxes of railway cars, etc.
Waste
Spoil, destruction, or injury, done to houses, woods, fences, lands, etc., by a tenant for life or for years, to the prejudice of the heir, or of him in reversion or remainder.
Waste
Old or abandoned workings, whether left as vacant space or filled with refuse.
Waste
Material derived by mechanical and chemical erosion from the land, carried by streams to the sea.
Waste
Any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted;
They collect the waste once a week
Much of the waste material is carried off in the sewers
Waste
Useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly;
If the effort brings no compensating gain it is a waste
Mindless dissipation of natural resources
Waste
The trait of wasting resources;
A life characterized by thriftlessness and waste
The wastefulness of missed opportunities
Waste
An uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation;
The barrens of central Africa
The trackless wastes of the desert
Waste
(law) reduction in the value of an estate caused by act or neglect
Waste
Spend thoughtlessly; throw away;
He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends
You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree
Waste
Use inefficiently or inappropriately;
Waste heat
Waste a joke on an unappreciative audience
Waste
Get rid of;
We waste the dirty water by channeling it into the sewer
Waste
Run off as waste;
The water wastes back into the ocean
Waste
Get rid of (someone who may be a threat) by killing;
The mafia liquidated the informer
The double agent was neutralized
Waste
Spend extravagantly;
Waste not, want not
Waste
Lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief;
After her husband died, she just pined away
Waste
Cause to grow thin or weak;
The treatment emaciated him
Waste
Devastate or ravage;
The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion
Waste
Waste away;
Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world
Waste
Disposed of as useless;
Waste paper
Waste
Located in a dismal or remote area; desolate;
A desert island
A godforsaken wilderness crossroads
A wild stretch of land
Waste places
Waste
Unused or discarded material.
Companies should recycle their waste.
Waste
Excessive use or misuse.
It's a waste of money to buy that car.
Waste
A desolate or unproductive region.
The barren waste stretched for miles.
Waste
To consume or use without purpose.
Don't waste your time on trivial matters.
Waste
To deteriorate or wear away.
The building has wasted away over the years.
Common Curiosities
Is "waistline" related to "Waist"?
Yes, waistline refers to the circumference of one's waist or the part of a garment covering the waist.
What body part is the Waist?
Waist is the part of the body between the ribs and the hips.
Can Waste be a verb?
Yes, "to waste" means to use or expend carelessly.
How is the Waist measured?
Typically, with a measuring tape around the narrowest part of the torso.
Is there an environmental concern regarding Waste?
Yes, improper waste disposal can harm the environment.
What does Waste refer to?
Waste refers to materials that are no longer useful or wanted, often resulting from some process or action.
Can Waste be used in a figurative sense?
Yes, such as in the phrase "a waste of time."
Are the words Waste and Waist homophones?
Yes, they sound alike but have different meanings.
Can you name a product related to Waist?
A waist belt or corset.
What does "lay waste to" mean?
It means to destroy or devastate something.
What are some synonyms for Waste?
Rubbish, trash, and refuse are some synonyms.
Can you name a product related to Waste?
A waste bin or garbage bag.
Is the Waist always a specific size?
No, it can vary among individuals and can change over time.
How are Waste and Waist used differently in sentences?
"Waste" often relates to disposal or inefficiency, while "Waist" relates to the body or middle section of objects.
What can "reduce your waist" mean?
It often refers to losing belly fat or slimming down.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
