bike

¹ American  

[bahyk] / baɪk /

noun

1. Informal.

   1. a bicycle.

   2. a motorbike.

   3. a motorcycle.

2. Harness Racing. a sulky with tires like those of a bicycle.

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verb (used without object)

biked, biking

1. to ride a bike.

   I bike to work.

idioms

1. get off one's bike, to lose control of oneself or become angry.

bike ² American  

[bahyk] / baɪk /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a colony, nest, or swarm of wild bees, wasps, or hornets.

2. a teeming crowd; swarm of people.

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bike ¹ British  

/ baɪk /

noun

1. informal short for bicycle motorcycle

2. slang away you go

3. slang to lose one's self-control

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noun

1. slang a promiscuous woman

   the town bike

bike ² British  

/ baɪk, bəɪk /

noun

1. a wasps' or bees' nest

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verb

1. to swarm

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

After reporting the theft to Humberside Police, Thompson says he used social media to try to trace the bike.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

On my bike, away from social constraints, I often pretended to be in a battle, yelling at my troops, or I sang at the top of my lungs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

He had also brought his bike, which seemed to be the best way to elude the masses.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

However, ‌second-placed Marquez had no time to react, hitting the back of ‌the KTM before he ‌and his Ducati bike went towards the wall and then cartwheeled through the ⁠air.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

I ride the exercise bike on Wednesday and run a slightly quicker four miles on Thursday.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• pedal