tankini

noun tank·i·ni \ taŋ-ˈkē-nē \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of tankini

: a woman's two-piece swimsuit consisting of bikini briefs and a tank top

tankini was our Word of the Day on 10/04/2014. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of tankini from the Web

Whether that is a one-piece, a tankini, a high-waisted brief and bikini top, or a little string bikini, wear it.

— hunter mcgrady, Teen Vogue, "What It's Like to Shop for Plus-Size Swimwear, According to Hunter McGrady," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tankini.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The two-piece swimsuit we call the bikini made its debut on Paris runways in 1946. The word bikini comes from Bikini atoll, the name of one of the Marshall Islands in the western Pacific, where atomic-bomb tests were performed in 1946. One theory of the coinage is that the effect achieved by a scantily clad woman appearing in public may be compared to the effect of an A-bomb blast. Another possible explanation is that the bikini leaves its wearer nearly bare, the way the bomb tests stripped Bikini atoll. In 1985, the tankini began appearing on beaches in the U.S., and the word bikini was combined with tank to create its appropriate name.