Showing results for "cycling"

• present participle of cycle.

cycling

American  

[sahy-kling] / ˈsaɪ klɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or sport of riding or traveling by bicycle, motorcycle, etc.

2. Also called bicycle race.  Also called bicycle racing.  Sports. a race on lightweight bicycles with low handlebars, conducted for specified distances or against time on a dirt or board track or over public roads between cities.

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Etymology

Origin of cycling

First recorded in 1935–40; cycle + -ing ¹

Explanation

When you ride a bicycle, you are cycling. Sometimes, though less often, it also is used to refer to motorcycle riding. The roots of the word cycling are ancient. Both Latin and Greek have similar words that mean "circle, wheel." It's only natural, then, that a two-wheeled vehicle should be a bicycle and that cycling involves riding that vehicle. Occasionally, it can be used as a verb describing something going through a cycle, like a dishwasher cycling through.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cycling

I don’t want to declare any Tour over, because it’s still cycling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Wildfires raged across southern Europe on Monday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes and prompting officials to ban spectators from a stage of the storied Tour de France cycling race.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

In Fort Lauderdale, that downtime was spent cycling in and around their luxurious beach hotel and playing a high-end golf course - the PGA National - before a thunderstorm cut the round short.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Citrini says that as oil prices normalize “we think tourism to the U.S. will see a sustained uplift” and spark airlines to start cycling higher.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

I took them cycling in the neighborhood, wrapped in our jackets and scarves.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan