hike
Americanverb (used without object)
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hikes,
present (3rd person singular)
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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.
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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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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
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has been hikingperfect progressive
Past
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hikedsimple
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had hikedperfect
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was hikingprogressive
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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:
Expectations for a rate hike at the Fed’s September meeting were at about 33% on Sunday, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
With time and a few trial runs, my dad returned to hike for a month on the Continental Divide Trail without her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
The result has been a three-week trip catching up with family and traveling around the country to hike, swim, shop and visit heritage sites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"A few weeks ago, traders were being asked to justify why the Fed should not hike again," said Stephen Innes, global strategist at Quintex Intel.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Despite my earlier vow not to hike with the car, I found it rather suited me here—indeed, completely suited me.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Treasury yields declined across maturities, though stayed at elevated levels, as Brent oil is largely stable, while market expectations of Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes are weakening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The market is currently pricing in 35 basis points of Fed rate hikes for the next 12 months, less than Danske’s call of two hikes of 25 basis points each.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Amy Fairman, from campaign group River Action, said: "Ofwat waving through yet more water bill hikes is an insult."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"That would not take rate hikes off the table; it would make them more painful."
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
A few crickets down in the cellar begin their song: a rhythmic kree-kree, evening in August, and Marie-Laure hikes her tattered stockings and goes into the kitchen and tears another hunk from Madame Ruelle’s loaf.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Construction-industries revenue hiked 35% to $8.35 billion, beating expectations of $7.49 billion, as investments in data centers are contributing to construction spending levels.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Bank of Japan in June hiked interest rates to a 31-year high of 1.0 percent -- and held them there last week -- well below the US Federal Reserve's 3.50-3.75 percent.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
She ran, climbed and hiked 14 to 18 hours a day, covering 40 to 50 miles before getting a few hours of sleep in a van, tent or occasionally a hotel room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Rather than call for a helicopter rescue, Cifaldi hiked 10 miles down the mountain on foot.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
They were from Boston and had hiked in on a side trail from Cades Cove.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
China’s DeepSeek is hiking prices for its flagship V4 models amid fierce competition among artificial intelligence players, though its latest prices remain well below its rivals’.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The reading suggested the world's number one economy was slowing, though traders welcomed the prospect the Federal Reserve will hold off hiking borrowing costs for the time being.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
They are spending the days before the eclipse driving round eastern parts of Iceland to go hiking and camping.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Her workouts typically consist of strength exercises, mixed with martial arts and outdoor activities like hiking and running.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
At their camp near the base of a bluff alongside the Green River, Buzz began to fill their backpacks for another day of hiking, trying to lighten their load as much as possible.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
