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:
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’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
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
When I wanted to wear a bikini to the beach, Mom was appalled by the concept.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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 series’ fourth spinoff movie, “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie” — which follows 2021’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” — premieres Aug. 2 on Netflix.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024
A couple of the younger nurses, the ones who probably listen to pop radio or watch MTV and have heard of Bikini, look up, their faces excited question marks.
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
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
Kim K.’s undergarment and loungewear brand sells all kinds of goodies, from bubblegum-pink lace gloves to terry-cloth towels to crocheted string bikinis.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2023
Julie learned about television, sports cars, blue jeans, bikinis, hero sandwiches, and wall-to-wall carpeting in the high school Amy would soon be attending.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
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.
