bicycle

[bahy-si-kuhl, -sik-uhl, -sahy-kuhl]

noun

1. a vehicle with two wheels in tandem, usually propelled by pedals connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering and a saddlelike seat.

verb (used without object)

bicycled, bicycling 

1. to ride a bicycle.

verb (used with object)

bicycled, bicycling 

1. to ship or transport directly by bicycle or other means.

bicycle

/ ˈbaɪsɪkəl /

noun

1. Often shortened to: cycle.  bike. informal,  a vehicle with a tubular metal frame mounted on two spoked wheels, one behind the other. The rider sits on a saddle, propels the vehicle by means of pedals that drive the rear wheel through a chain, and steers with handlebars on the front wheel

verb

1. (intr) to ride a bicycle; cycle

Other Word Forms

• bicyclist noun
• bicycler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bicycle¹

From French, dating back to 1865–70; bi- ¹, cycle

Word History and Origins

Origin of bicycle¹

C19: from _bi- ¹ + Late Latin cyclus , from Greek kuklos wheel

Example Sentences

New parks, bicycle lanes and metro lines reshaped life in the city, where around 1.4 million people live.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The bicycle remained an essential part of Rwandan life, from competitive city teams to weekday commuters to deliverymen pedaling tall cans of milk over cratered dirt roads.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Though I’ve barely touched a stick shift in the last 40 years, as with riding a bicycle, you never fully lose the muscle memory.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“It’s weights; it’s bicycles,” he offered as examples.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

You would not anticipate them arriving on a bicycle.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bike