Standard Lemma guide

swimwear

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S W IH1 M W EH2 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Items of clothing appropriate for swimming.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • April 19 2002, Scott Tobias, AV Club Dark Tidehttp://www.avclub.com/articles/dark-tide,72548/ For Stockwell’s purposes, Halle Berry reps an appreciable presence in swimwear, but even her opening voiceover sounds swamped by boredom and regret.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

tight fitting garment worn for swimming

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: swimsuit, bathing suit, swimming costume, bathing costume

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: garment

Narrower terms: bikini, two-piece, maillot, tank suit, swimming trunks, bathing trunks

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English swim Proto-Indo-European *wes- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *woséyeti Proto-Germanic *wazjaną Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan Old English werian Middle English weren English wear English -wear English swimwear From swim + -wear.