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 

Did you know?

In July 1946, a US Army–Navy task force detonated two thermonuclear bombs at Bikini, an atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and the event dominated news around the world. A French designer, Jacques Heim, used the occasion to introduce a skimpy two-piece bathing suit dubbed l’atome, “the atom.” Another designer, Louis Réard, followed it up with an even smaller suit for which he registered the name bikini. It was first modeled by dancer Micheline Bernardini at a Paris fashion show on July 5. There is no solid evidence for why he gave this name to the suit, but it has since become an international word.

Examples of bikini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lipa sported a designer bikini worth nearly $500. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 24 June 2026

French engineer and fashion designer Louis Réard revealed to the world the first modern bikini at Piscine Molitor, a public pool in Paris. — USA Today, 24 June 2026

On Sunday, June 21, the Olympian, 41, shared a photo on Instagram of herself wearing a black bikini on vacation, along with a series of snaps of her summer activities so far with friends and family. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026

The president also posted a fake image of himself and several of his administration officials in swimsuits, along with an unidentified woman in a bikini lounging in the water. — Willem Marx, NPR, 21 June 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
• amine
• arsine
• carinii
• cosine
• delphine
• domine
• latine
• 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