hike
Americanverb (used without object)
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hikes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hiked,
past participle, past
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hiking
present participle
-
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 byup ).
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)
-
hikes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hiked,
past participle, past
-
hiking
present participle
-
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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hikes
plural
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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
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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
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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
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have been hikingperfect progressive
-
has been hikingperfect progressive
Past
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hikedsimple
-
had hikedperfect
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was hikingprogressive
-
were hikingprogressive
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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.
See Examples For:
Economists at Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital Markets also abandoned forecasts of an October hike last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Inflation hurts longer-dated bonds more than shorter-dated maturities, especially if the Federal Reserve needs to hike rates by more than expected.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
That tempered expectations of an imminent rate hike by the Federal Reserve, and fueled optimism on equity markets that the AI-fueled rally still has room to run.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
She wasn’t prepared for the hike but doesn’t have another option.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
If not for that nagging fear of being spotted, it would have been a very pleasant hike.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
UOB economist Jester Koh noted from the MPC meetings in August that several members said that while rate hikes on the horizon, they are adopting a wait-and-see approach first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Further interest rate hikes, more oil market disruptions or an AI-stock selloff also could cause a copper price pullback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Add to that additional rate hikes by the Fed and Bank of England until the year-end, and the bull market in equities could come to an abrupt end sooner than many expect,” Klement said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
A dose implies only a portion — which probably means more hikes may come down the road.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026
Without looking back, Leo hikes it for class.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
India's central bank hiked interest rates Wednesday for the first time since 2023 as the Middle East conflict stokes inflation in Asia's third-largest economy and batters a weakened rupee.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Amex hiked the annual fee on its Platinum card by $200 last year, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve saw a similarly big leap from $550 to $795.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Just this year, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV and YouTube Premium have all also hiked their subscription fees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
It has now hiked rates six times in the last two and a half years.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
At lunch she hiked miles within the walled city, around curls and corners of tiny alleyways, up secretive staircases, along crowded thoroughfares smelling of oranges and rose water and damp, mopped stone.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
To combat his loneliness, the 34-year-old began taking groups hiking.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Any pause in the fresh Fed hiking cycle could increase appetite for stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026
When I’m futzing in the garden or hiking, I wear socks, pants and shirts permeated with the tick-killing insecticide permethrin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
But he added that "this is unlikely to tip the balance for the ECB" and he expects policymakers to keep rates steady at their next meeting in October, before hiking again in December.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Handsome was unhappy because he had discovered that you should not make boasts about how much you love exploring and hiking and climbing if the truth is you absolutely don’t.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
