Meaning & use
bikini
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Meanings
nouncountable
A two-piece swimsuit with a small top and bottom, worn mainly by women on beaches and at pools.
Grammar: Singular for the set: she bought a new bikini.
Patterns
- wear a bikini
- in a bikini
She packed a bright red bikini for the beach holiday.
He saw a woman in a bikini reading under an umbrella.
The shop sells bikinis in every size.
nouncountableinformal
A style of brief underwear or a close-fitting cut of the body, as in the area where this swimwear lies.
Grammar: Often used as a modifier: bikini line, bikini wax.
Patterns
- bikini line
- bikini briefs
She booked a bikini wax before the trip.
The cotton bikini briefs were comfortable under her jeans.
He bought a pack of bikini underwear.
Word forms
| plural | bikinis |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear a bikini
- She felt confident enough to wear a bikini.
- string bikini
- The shop sold a string bikini in blue.
- bikini top
- She lost her bikini top in the waves.
- bikini bottoms
- He packed plain black bikini bottoms.
- bikini body
- Magazine ads often push the idea of a bikini body.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swimsuit
- Swimsuit is a general word for any swimming outfit, while a bikini always has two separate pieces.
- two-piece
- Two-piece describes the same style in everyday speech, and is less specific than bikini.
- swimwear
- Swimwear is an uncountable collective term, and bikini names one particular garment.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bikini or bakini?
bikini vs bakini
Bakini is a misspelling; the word is written bikini and stressed on the second syllable.
Practice
Maria packed sunscreen, sandals and a new ____ for the beach.
Choose one answer.
A bikini is swimwear and fits the beach context. A blazer and bodice are clothes but not for swimming, and a bandana is a headscarf.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bikini”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.