bikini

noun

bi·​ki·​ni bə-ˈkē-nē 

plural bikinis

1

a

: a two-piece bathing suit worn by women that does not cover the midriff see also string bikini, tankini

b

: a short snug swimsuit worn by men

2

: a pair of low-cut briefs (see brief entry 2 sense 4)

Launched in May, the underwear brand for men and women includes bikinis, … G-strings and boxer briefs.

—Phyllis Furman

… ultra low-rise jeans with a built-in bikini or thong.

—Sunday Tribune (South Africa)

—often used before another noun

Bikini briefs are usually lower than the true waist, often at the hips.

—Clifford Pugh

bikinied adjective

or less commonly bikini'd

bə-ˈkē-nēd 

Examples of bikini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All Kulani Kini bikini tops, bikini bottoms, and one-piece swimsuits come in sizes XS through 2XL or 3XL. —Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026

Jensen said this was not the first time police have taken enforcement action against a bikini café in Garden Grove and added that similar businesses are believed to be operating elsewhere in the city. —Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 7 Feb. 2026

Hair is great, makeup is great, mukluks are great, bikini is just okay. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026

For these and other sins, her castigation has extended into the afterlife: with Elon Musk’s AI tool, Grok, users churned out deepfakes of Good with bullets in her head and of her corpse in a bikini. —Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Bikini, atoll of the Marshall Islands

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bikini

• bikini wax
• string bikini

Rhymes for bikini

• acini
• aldine
• arsine
• carinii
• cosine
• delphine
• domine
• latine
• leucine
• ovine
• pennine
• porcine

Kids Definition

bikini

noun

bi·​ki·​ni bə-ˈkē-nē 

: a scanty two-piece bathing suit for a girl or woman

Etymology

from French bikini "two-piece bathing suit," from Bikini, atoll in the Marshall Islands

Geographical Definition

Bikini

geographical name

Bi·​ki·​ni bi-ˈkē-nē 

island (atoll) of the Marshall Islands

Note: Bikini was the site of U.S. atomic bomb tests in 1946 and hydrogen bomb tests in 1954 and 1956.

Bikinian

bi-ˈkē-nē-ən 

noun