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URL: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fanny

⇱ FANNY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com


fanny

American  
[fan-ee] / ˈfæn i /

noun

Informal.

plural

fannies
  1. the buttocks.


fanny British  
/ ˈfænɪ /

noun

  1. taboo the female genitals

  2. the buttocks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Despite the theory that this word derives from the name `Fanny', its use in British English is still considered taboo by many people, and is likely to cause offence. In the US the word refers to the buttocks. Serious misunderstanding may therefore arise when what people in Britain know as a `bumbag' is referred to in the US as a `fanny pack'

Etymology

Origin of fanny

1925–30; of obscure origin; relation, if any, to British fanny “vulva” (vulgar) is unclear

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The detour into stunt work in the U.S. and Hong Kong kept his skills sharp, and the Daniels showcased his expertise with the fanny pack fight in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2025

Gutierrez can be seen racing to grab Baldwin’s pistol, which she quickly loads with blank ammunition pulled from her gray fanny pack.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

Ken Jeong is unfrozen into a present day full of miracles: fanny packs, drone delivery, Popeyes’ new chicken wings.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2024

Police found a handgun magazine that belonged to the FBI agent in a fanny pack during a search of the car.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2024

"I'm getting dizzy," she said, shifting her position on the hard wooden folding chair, "and worse yet, I think I've got a splinter in my fanny."

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.