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)

bikes, present (3rd person singular) biked, past participle, past biking present participle

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

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have biked
  perfect
• has biked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are biking
  progressive
• has been biking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is biking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am biking
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been biking
  perfect progressive
• bikes
  singular 3rd person
• biking
  participle

Past

• had biked
  perfect
• were biking
  progressive plural
• had been biking
  perfect progressive
• was biking
  progressive singular
• biked
  simple
• biked
  participle

Future

• will bike
  simple
• will have biked
  perfect
• will have been biking
  perfect progressive
• will be biking
  progressive

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

Rent a Bike – Madison is one of the most bikable cities in the country, with more than 200 miles of trails.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

"I've ridden this race twice as a junior," said Visma-Lease a Bike rider Brennan, who was able to ride despite a heavy fall on Saturday in Omloop Nieuwsblad.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider unveiled his schedule on Tuesday at his team's media day in Nucia, on Spain's Costa Blanca.

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

I’m dry-heaving while I hang on to the edge of a Citi Bike rack on 59th and 6th, still shaking from the 18-mile run I thought would never end.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Bike paths, a fake pond or two, a basketball court, a huge daycare facility.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

Related Words

• pedal