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

Past

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

Future

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

Police departments are also trying to educate the public before issuing citations or towing an illegal bike, but officials said it’s a challenge.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

He jumped on his bike and headed towards the source.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Many Dutch children didn’t need them; they could bike to school independently.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

I like experiencing time as life passes before your eyes on a bike, on a train, in a cab, driving, a road trip.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

It’s like a joke that as I bike home, the rain slows to a drizzle and stops completely as I pull alongside the back fence.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• pedal