wifebeater

noun

wife·​beat·​er ˈwīf-ˌbē-tər 

plural wifebeaters

slang

: a ribbed tank top that is sometimes worn as an undershirt

She is barefoot and casually dressed, smoking Newports, in red capri-length Dickies with a red and white belt, a white wifebeater that says HURLEY and a black hoodie that says HARLEY-DAVIDSON …

—Jesse Sheidlower

Ripped young men in wifebeaters and equally buff young women in bikinis …

—William Finnegan

Word History

Etymology

from the stereotypical association of such shirts with men who abuse their wives

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above