thong

American  

[thawng, thong] / θɔŋ, θɒŋ /

noun

• thongs
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• thonged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thongs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of thong

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thong thongs

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 ● Oct. 4, 2022

Now think of all the trends that originated with those two: the selfie, purse dogs, contouring, thong heels, public awareness of and/or emotional investment in Kylie and Caitlyn Jenner, to name a few.

From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2022

Watching “Do It Debbie’s Way,” I picture a trio of women in 1983: Fisher posing in her iron thong, Reynolds lunging in her raspberry spandex, and Winters lounging in her oversized sweatshirt.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 9, 2019

Don’t wear thong underwear, for instance, because those garments “allow bacteria to travel easier to the urethra,” Berkeley explains.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2017

And he had already bent down to cut through the leather thong that Basta wore around his neck.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

The most standout looks so far have included bejeweled thongs, color-coordinated snapbacks and sneakers and pleated, baggy jorts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025

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 ● Apr. 26, 2024

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 ● Nov. 9, 2023

For many women, after years of thongs and underwire bras, it was a relief to wear clothes that didn’t hurt.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 3, 2021

With a pair of thongs, she dips a piece of white cloth into the alcohol bowl, allowing it to soak through.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung