thong

American  

[thawng, thong] / θɔŋ, θɒŋ /

noun

1. a strip of material, especially of leather or hide, used to fasten or secure something.

2. a strip of leather or hide used for whipping; whiplash.

3. a shoe or slipper fastened to the foot chiefly by a strip of leather or other material passing between the first and second toes and often attaching to another strip of material, as a strap across the instep or around the ankle.

4. a brief garment for the lower body that exposes the buttocks, consisting of a strip of fabric passing between the thighs and attached to a band around the waist.

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thong British  

/ θɒŋ /

noun

1. a thin strip of leather or other material, such as one used for lashing things together

2. a whip or whiplash, esp one made of leather

3. the usual name for flip-flop

4. 1. a skimpy article of beachwear, worn by men or women, consisting of thin strips of leather or cloth attached to a piece of material that covers the genitals while leaving the buttocks bare

   2. a similar item of underwear

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Other Word Forms

• thonged adjective

Etymology

Origin of thong

before 950; Middle English; Old English thwong; akin to Old Norse thvengr strap, thvinga to compel

Example Sentences

Ron Noll was known for riding his Harley-Davidson motorbike in flip-flops, or thongs as they are known here, preferring the ventilation and comfort of the hassle-free footwear in the Central Australian desert heat.

From New York Times

It has been accused of adding extra stars to the New Zealand flag and of calling flipflops "thongs" rather than "jandals" in reference to some of the well-known differences between the two countries.

From BBC

"I raced down… but there was no sign of him, just his thongs on the bank and nothing else," his friend John Peiti told the Cape York Weekly.

From BBC

In a recent acrylic painting she calls “The Big Bang,” she depicts a Black woman facing away from the viewer, a gun in her thong and her middle finger up.

From Seattle Times

With that technique, the hand moves up and down, keeping the whip mostly in a vertical plane as the thong stretches toward a target in front.

From New York Times