bikini
noun
a very brief, close-fitting, two-piece bathing suit for women or girls.
bikini
1 American
[bih-kee-nee]
/ bɪˈki ni /
noun
-
bikinis
plural
-
a very brief, close-fitting, two-piece bathing suit for women or girls.
-
a very brief, close-fitting pair of bathing trunks for men or boys.
-
Often bikinis. underwear briefs that are fitted low on the hip or below it.
Bikini
2
American
[bih-kee-nee]
/ bɪˈki ni /
noun
Bikini
1
British
/ bɪˈkiːnɪ /
noun
bikini
2
British
/ bɪˈkiːnɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
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.
See Examples For:
The website for Loft, a Los Angeles brand, features more markdowns than a bikini brand in winter—the discounts have included a 125g tin of Osetra slashed from $346 to $138.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
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
For me, I wanted a normal mom that stayed home and baked cookies and didn’t run around in heels, in a bikini.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025
Reality star Kourtney Kardashian hit back in 2020 after an Instagram user suggested she looked pregnant in bikini photos.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2024
Audrey wore a bikini, Jenna, a sporty black tankini, and I had on an oversize T-shirt over my striped one-piece.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
But she was still buzzing with adrenaline from Bikini Kill’s riotous act just minutes before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
In a bid to raise awareness of EDS, she plans to duet with 1960s singer Brian Hyland outside Downing Street, performing his hit Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
She’s brought the Breeders on tour as an opening act, and she has frequently name-checked Riot Grrrl acts such as Bikini Kill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Hughes pointed to the impact of the United States' 15-megaton Bravo test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands on March 1, 1954 -- "equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima bombs -- an absolute monstrosity".
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
The bit about them basically says that local band Shooting Star is opening for Bikini on the Portland leg of Bikini’s national tour.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
"We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis," X's safety team said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026
The minimalist storefront she works out of has two racks of colorful bikinis lining both sides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2025
It was here she discovered other female surfers felt the same as her, frustrated that women's surf magazines always pictured "women surfing in bikinis and in warm climates".
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2025
On Instagram, where she posts photos of herself in expensive clothes at glamorous weddings and in bikinis on luxurious international vacations, she has more than 20,000 followers.
From Slate ● May 13, 2024
I recognize two bikinis from my favorite shop on Oak Street and feel extremely jealous.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
