hike

[hahyk]

See more synonyms for hike on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), hiked, hik·ing.

to walk or march a great distance, especially through rural areas, for pleasure, exercise, military training, or the like.
to move up or rise, as out of place or position (often followed by up): My shirt hikes up if I don't wear a belt.
Nautical. to hold oneself outboard on the windward side of a heeling sailboat to reduce the amount of heel.

verb (used with object), hiked, hik·ing.

to move, draw, or raise with a jerk (often followed by up): to hike up one's socks.
to increase, often sharply and unexpectedly: to hike the price of milk.

noun

a long walk or march for recreational activity, military training, or the like.
an increase or rise, often sharp and unexpected: a hike in wages.

Idioms

take a hike, Slang. to go away because one's company is not desired.

Origin of hike

First recorded in 1800–10; perhaps dialectal variant of hitch¹

Related formshik·er, noun

Synonyms for hike

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1. tramp, ramble, trek, trudge, backpack.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for hike

trek, trip, tramp, explore, stroll, jump, lift, boost, traipse, march, ramble, backpack, constitutional, walk, tour, exploration, excursion, walkabout, stump, rove

Examples from the Web for hike

Contemporary Examples of hike

Until then, we will hike the stairs together, one carpeted step at a time.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder
Carrie Arnold
December 20, 2014
To break her self-destructive cycle and heal, she decides to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail solo.
Exclusive: The Making of Reese Witherspoon’s Golden Globe-Nominated ‘Wild’
Marlow Stern
December 12, 2014
It was on a hike to the Grand Canyon at age 18 that Shattuck penned her first bucket list.
From Baltimore Ravens Cheerleader to Mrs. Robinson
Brandy Zadrozny
November 6, 2014
Voters there also passed a hike in the state minimum wage, with 53 percent of the vote.
How’d the GOP Win? By Running Left
Sally Kohn
November 6, 2014
That is, soccer was intended to be no fun, like a 50-mile hike.
DUP-Up To a Point: Oops, I Enjoyed Soccer
P. J. O’Rourke
July 13, 2014

Historical Examples of hike

Poked an old Civil War pistol out of the window and told me to hike.
They of the High Trails
Hamlin Garland
"Hike out the foot-boards; they slide in them grooves," said Dan.
"Captains Courageous"
Rudyard Kipling
We don't know ourselves just how far we expect to hike this afternoon.
The Banner Boy Scouts on a Tour
George A. Warren
The hike was started and continued for three miles, so did the rain.
The Delta of the Triple Elevens
William Elmer Bachman
Nothing to do but hike in a marsuit or sun oneself under a dome.
Rebels of the Red Planet
Charles Louis Fontenay

British Dictionary definitions for hike

hike

verb

(intr) to walk a long way, usually for pleasure or exercise, esp in the country
(usually foll by up) to pull or be pulled; hitch
(tr) to increase (a price)

noun

a long walk
a rise in prices, wages, etc

Derived Formshiker, noun

Word Origin for hike

C18: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hike

1809, hyke "to walk vigorously," an English dialectal word of unknown origin. A yike from 1736 answers to the sense.

HIKE, v. to go away. It is generally used in a contemptuous sense. Ex. "Come, hike," i.e. take yourself off; begone. [Rev. Robert Forby, "The Vocabulary of East Anglia," London, 1830]

Sense of "pull up" (as pants) first recorded 1873 in American English, and may be a variant of hitch; extended sense of "raise" (as wages) is 1867. Related: Hiked; hiking. The noun is from 1865.

Idioms and Phrases with hike

hike

see take a hike.