hike
Americanverb (used without object)
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to walk or march a great distance, especially through rural areas, for pleasure, exercise, military training, or the like.
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to move up or rise, as out of place or position (often followed byup ).
My shirt hikes up if I don't wear a belt.
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Nautical. to hold oneself outboard on the windward side of a heeling sailboat to reduce the amount of heel.
verb (used with object)
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to move, draw, or raise with a jerk (often followed byup ).
to hike up one's socks.
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to increase, often sharply and unexpectedly.
to hike the price of milk.
noun
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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
verb
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(intr) to walk a long way, usually for pleasure or exercise, esp in the country
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(usually foll by up) to pull or be pulled; hitch
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(tr) to increase (a price)
noun
-
a long walk
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a rise in prices, wages, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hikesimple
-
hikessimple
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have hikedperfect
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has hikedperfect
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am hikingprogressive
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are hikingprogressive
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is hikingprogressive
-
have been hikingperfect progressive
-
has been hikingperfect progressive
Past
-
hikedsimple
-
had hikedperfect
-
was hikingprogressive
-
were hikingprogressive
-
had been hikingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hike
First recorded in 1800–10; perhaps dialectal variant of hitch 1
Explanation
To hike is to walk a long way at a leisurely pace. You might love to hike in the woods on weekends. When you hike, you walk for pleasure, often in a wooded or hilly area. The trip itself is also a hike, whether you hike the Appalachian Trail or climb a local hill. Another meaning of hike is "to increase," as when the library decides to hike the fees for late books. Hike has been around since the 1800's, when it was spelled hyke, but its origin is uncertain. The "walk vigorously" meaning is older than the "raise or increase" meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing hike
Sports and Hobbies
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What Does the Fed's Raising Interest Rates Mean?
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Unit 13
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Support for a rate hike last month hadn’t been known previously.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
In Washington state, Centene is asking for a 28% hike, after boosting rates by 35% in 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
Markets now see roughly a 75% chance of a rate hike this year, according to Atlanta Fed data.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
Budget Energy is the latest energy provider to increase its prices, with a 9.5% hike announced for thousands of customers next month.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
During our hike to Meir’s house, Frankie and I couldn’t have gone more than two hundred meters from the road.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
