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  • bikini
    bikini
    noun
    a very brief, close-fitting, two-piece bathing suit for women or girls.
  • Bikini
    Bikini
    noun
    an atoll in the N Pacific, in the Marshall Islands: atomic bomb tests 1946. 3 sq. mi. (8 sq. km).
Synonyms

bikini

1 American  
[bih-kee-nee] / bɪˈki ni /

noun

plural

bikinis

  1. a very brief, close-fitting, two-piece bathing suit for women or girls.

  2. a very brief, close-fitting pair of bathing trunks for men or boys.

  3. Often bikinis. underwear briefs that are fitted low on the hip or below it.

Bikini 2 American  
[bih-kee-nee] / bɪˈki ni /

noun

  1. an atoll in the N Pacific, in the Marshall Islands: atomic bomb tests 1946. 3 sq. mi. (8 sq. km).

Bikini 1 British  
/ bɪˈkiːnɪ /

noun

  1. an atoll in the N Pacific; one of the Marshall Islands: site of a US atomic-bomb test in 1946

"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
bikini 2 British  
/ bɪˈkiːnɪ /

noun

  1. a woman's very brief two-piece swimming costume

"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 bikini

1945–50; < French, apparently named after Bikini

Explanation

A bikini is a two-piece women's bathing suit. Bikinis are usually skimpy, and a particularly small one inspired a song from 1960 called "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” We don't normally associate atomic bomb tests with cute bathing suits, but this one's an exception. The bikini is named after the Pacific atoll of the same name, where an atomic bomb was exploded in 1946. The reason a tiny bathing suit is named after a tiny island isn’t clear. Although a bikini isn't as explosive as a bomb, it is likely to be worn by a bombshell.

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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.

Turkish swimwear brand Mayovera showcased a collection of burkinis - a mix of the terms "burka" and "bikini" - covering everything except the face, hands and feet.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

I love the story Didion tells of going to Ralphs in a bikini on a 105-degree day.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

I’m standing on a Connecticut beach in a bikini at 6:25 a.m. on a November morning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Hooters is also discontinuing weekly bikini nights and emphasizing charitable initiatives such as “Wings for Children” and partnerships with veterans’ organizations.

From Salon • Aug. 23, 2025

The Daily Mail, predictably, has managed to find pictures of Megan in her bikini, but they’ve also done the most detailed profile I’ve seen of her so far.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

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.