Hey, it seems you love to waste people’s time!
Do not waste time making clothes that won’t fit my waist!
Did you get the twist?
Learn how to use the homophones waste vs waist in a sentence without messing up the meaning.
We’ve got you covered!
Waist vs. Waste
Waist is a noun. It is the part of the body between the ribs and hips.
Waste, on the other hand, can be used as a noun, adjective, and verb.
It means an unwanted material or thing as a noun. Waste also means using something carelessly.
As an adjective, waste means something unwanted or not useful.
As a verb, waste means losing value, having no use, or using a thing carelessly.
Examples;
- Correct: Cutting a tree with a knife is a waste of time.
- Incorrect: Cutting a tree with a knife is a waist of time.
- Correct: These skirts fit perfectly around my waist.
- Incorrect: These skirts fit perfectly around my waste.
See also: “Capitol” vs “Capital”: Main Differences & How to Use Both Correctly as a Writer
Waste
We have already mentioned that waste can have several meanings depending on the part of speech it is used. It can be a noun, verb, or an adjective.
A noun is a person, place or thing, however, in this case, waste is a thing. A verb is an action word, and an adjective is a word used to describe another word.
As a Noun
As a noun, waste is used to describe trash; something that is no longer needed or ruined.
For example:
- There was a lot of waste from the garage.
- Where are you disposing of all of that waste?
As a Verb
As a verb, it means to spend or use carelessly.
For example;
- Don’t waste your money on entertaining the uninvited guests.
As an Adjective
Here, it means unwanted or not needed.
For example;
- Make sure to recycle waste paper.
Waste has other uses which can be for example to lay waste to something. This means to destroy it.
See also: “Canon” vs “Cannon”: Main Differences & How to Use Both Correctly as a Writer
Waist
Waist is a noun. It is the part of the body between the ribs and hips.
A section of one’s clothes that fits the waist can sometimes be called waist. Example; The waist on this suit is too tight.
Similarly, midsections of vehicles airplanes, and ships are also known as waists. However, this is rarely used.
Examples;
- Tie your taekwondo belt around your waist.
- This new belt doesn’t fit around my waist.
- The lovers put their arms around each other’s waist.
- Multiple corrective surgeries have left scars all along my waist.
Another use of the word waist is in phrases like waistline and waistband.
Waist is not a verb. It is also not an adjective. In sentences where waist is used to describe another noun, it is combined with the noun to form a compound word, e.g., waistline or waistband.
Trick to Remember the Difference
Here is a helpful trick to remember waist vs. waste in your writing.
In sentences where the word functions as a verb or an adjective, waste is correct. Waist is not used as a verb or an adjective only as a noun.
As nouns, waste, and waist are easy to differentiate.
Notice the I in waist. It is talking of a part of the body. The e in waste speaks of refuse, unwanted items, carelessness, etc.
Are They Interchangeable?
Waist vs waste only have the same pronunciation but different meanings. As a result of the different meanings, they cannot be used interchangeably. Waist refers to part of the human body, while, waste refers to anything that we no longer need.
- Correct: The moment she got close to me, she stabbed me in the waist.
- Incorrect: The moment she got close to me, she stabbed me in the waste.
Wasted vs. Waisted
Waisted: This relates to the waist, the part of the human body between the ribs and hips.
Wasted: Wasted is an adjective that describes something that has been used inefficiently. It can also refer to the physical state of extreme weakness or the effects of excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Examples;
- He felt his time was wasted in unscheduled meetings.
- After the party, they were completely wasted.
See also: “Ok” or “Okay”: Main Differences & How to Use Both Correctly as a Writer
Summary: Waist or Waste?
Although these words sound the same, they mean different things:
Waist is a noun that refers to the part of the body between the hips and chest.
Waste can be a noun, a verb, or an adjective.
One way to tell these homophones apart is to remember the following phrase:
I have a waist, and “waist” has an “i.”
When you’re referring to the body part, you’ll use the spelling with an “i.” In other cases, the correct spelling will be “waste.”
References
- Study.com – waist vs waste
- Grammar monster – waist vs waste
