bike
1 Americannoun
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a colony, nest, or swarm of wild bees, wasps, or hornets.
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a teeming crowd; swarm of people.
noun
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informal short for bicycle motorcycle
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slang away you go
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slang to lose one's self-control
noun
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bikesimple
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bikessimple
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have bikedperfect
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has bikedperfect
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am bikingprogressive
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are bikingprogressive
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is bikingprogressive
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have been bikingperfect progressive
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has been bikingperfect progressive
Past
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bikedsimple
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had bikedperfect
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was bikingprogressive
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were bikingprogressive
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had been bikingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bike1
1880–85, alteration of bicycle
Origin of bike2
1250–1300; Middle English, equivalent to *bi bee (< Old Norse bȳ bee 1 ) + *yeke, Old English gēoc help, safety
Explanation
A bike is a pedal-powered two-wheeled vehicle. If you don't have time to walk to work, you might decide to ride your bike instead. Bike is shorthand for a bicycle or a motorbike. A bike enthusiast might keep a bike rack on her car and a bike helmet in her trunk at all times. Bike is also a verb, so you could say: "I'll bike over to the movie theater — meet you there in fifteen minutes!" This word, as a nickname for bicycle, first appeared in American English in 1882. It came to mean "motorcycle" about 50 years later.
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.
See Examples For:
Two-thirds of that money has come from hedge fund manager Aaron Sosnick, who has been pressing city leaders on the expansion of bike lanes and bus lanes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
But it’s still a proper handful, like a big, angry motocross bike on the open ocean.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
The grid appears to show that she sped up between the 35 and 40km marks, when she was allegedly on the bike.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The plan aims to "calm" traffic on these streets with wider pavements and more bike racks, according to the resolution adopted by the municipal council.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Which means I only have to bike over to the justice center and survive this panel thing, and this nightmare day will be over.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Pidcock finished second at the one-day race in Varese but was left "mad" after Pinarello-Q36.5 team-mates Marcel Camprubi and Thomas Gloag were knocked off their bikes with six laps of the finishing circuit to go.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Eduardo Metzker, 29, was riding his motorcycle in Rio de Janeiro when he was suddenly boxed in by two other bikes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Will they help make transportation safer for cars and bikes?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Peloton is considering moving some production of its bikes and treadmills closer to the U.S. to make its supply chain more flexible and resilient, according to Chief Operating Officer Charles Kirol.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
A tight circle of them on their bikes.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Within hours, papers would be biked around to investors' homes for signing, which allowed the business to drain their funds.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
A few weeks ago, I biked to meet a source for coffee, since my Android phone’s AccuWeather widget had seemingly projected a low, low chance of precipitation in the area.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
I was moving without my car, so I would naturally become someone who walked, biked and took the train more.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Before they had kids, McBride and his wife biked 6,500 miles — McBride using a special, hand-cranked cycle — from Portland, Ore., to the southern tip of Argentina.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
I slapped every parking meter with my palm, as we biked past Front Beach.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
It’s also close proximity to some of Boston’s most scenic walking and biking paths, and a water taxi providing transportation to Logan Airport and other local attractions.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Joanne Flickinger sued Schwarzenegger for negligent driving which she claimed led to the biking accident that landed her with hefty medical bills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Like Buttigieg, he has made biking a part of his public image, even riding with a group of school kids in Brooklyn earlier this year.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Residents of the city, which is nestled in the Appalachian foothills with the Tennessee River running through the heart of a lively downtown, enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, biking and boating.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
He assumed that he’d be coming home first, then biking over to Javier’s after checking in with his mom, so he wanted to have a fresh outfit change ready.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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