hitch

[ hich ]

/ hɪtʃ /

Save This Word!

verb (used with object)

to fasten or tie, especially temporarily, by means of a hook, rope, strap, etc.; tether: Steve hitched the horse to one of the posts.

to harness (an animal) to a vehicle (often followed by up).

to raise with jerks (usually followed by up); hike up: to hitch up one's trousers.

to move or draw (something) with a jerk.

Slang. to bind by marriage vows; unite in marriage; marry: They got hitched in '79.

to catch, as on a projection; snag: He hitched his jeans on a nail and tore them.

verb (used without object)

to stick, as when caught.

to fasten oneself or itself to something (often followed by on).

to move roughly or jerkily: The old buggy hitched along.

to hobble or limp.

noun

the act or fact of fastening, as to something, especially temporarily.

any of various knots or loops made to attach a rope to something in such a way as to be readily loosened.Compare bend¹ (def. 17).

Military Slang. a period of military service: a three-year hitch in the Navy.

an unexpected difficulty, obstacle, delay, etc.: a hitch in our plans for the picnic.

a hitching movement; jerk or pull.

a hitching gait; a hobble or limp.

a fastening that joins a movable tool to the mechanism that pulls it.

Mining.

a fault having a throw less than the thickness of a coal seam being mined.
a notch cut in a wall or the like to hold the end of a stull or other timber.

Verb Phrases

hitch up, to harness an animal to a wagon, carriage, or the like.

OTHER WORDS FOR hitch

1 attach, connect, hook.

2 yoke.

14 hindrance, catch, impediment.

See synonyms for hitch on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR hitch

1 loose, loosen.

See antonyms for hitch on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of hitch

First recorded in 1400–50; 1840–50 for def. 5; late Middle English verb icchen, hicchen, hitchen “to move rapidly or jerkily”; of obscure origin

OTHER WORDS FROM hitch

hitcher, noun

Words nearby hitch

hit a snag, hit batsman, hit below the belt, hit between the eyes, hit bottom, hitch, hitch a ride, Hitchcock, Hitchcock, Alfred, Hitchcock chair, hitchhike

Other definitions for hitch (2 of 3)

hitch²

[ hich ]

/ hɪtʃ /

noun

a minnow, Lavinia exilicauda, inhabiting streams in the area of San Francisco and the Sacramento River basin.

Origin of hitch

Origin uncertain

Other definitions for hitch (3 of 3)

hitch³

[ hich ]

/ hɪtʃ /

verb (used with or without object), noun Informal.

hitchhike.

Origin of hitch

First recorded in1865–70; by shortening

OTHER WORDS FROM hitch

hitcher, noun

How to use hitch in a sentence

One person easily walked around a room to look at a wall-mounted sign while having his eyes, brain activity, and other biomarkers tracked without a hitch.
Want to Decode the Human Brain? There’s a New System for That, and It’s Pretty Wild|Shelly Fan|September 22, 2020|Singularity Hub
Now she found herself hitched to a guy obsessed with business success.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics
The hitch in all this, however, is the TV network groups’ pay-TV contracts.
‘There wasn’t a huge shift’: TV upfront market did not undergo expected overhaul this year|Tim Peterson|September 9, 2020|Digiday
However, there is a hitch in the pitch that underscores why repeatedly showing viewers the same ad continues to be an issue dogging the streaming ad industry.
‘No way to properly manage frequency on two ad servers’: The ad tech hitch in Disney’s and ViacomCBS’s streaming upfront pitches|Tim Peterson|August 27, 2020|Digiday

The hitch is that it’s difficult to detect force fields that have nothing to push on.
The Hidden Magnetic Universe Begins to Come Into View|Natalie Wolchover|July 2, 2020|Quanta Magazine
When Hitch is feeling good, when he is not in pain, he throws himself into the business of preproduction.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After everything is in order and the call has been placed, Hitch picks up the receiver and says “How do you do?”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1945 or 1946, Hitch and Alma were in New York with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, on a publicity tour.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We are talking about Redford one day, an actor Hitch admires.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitch picks up his cane, pushes her aside, and laboriously tries to get to his feet, saying, “I'll do it myself.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Accordingly, she had the boys to hitch a team to a buggy and took him driving over the great estate.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
He just got a good holt–a shore enough diamond hitch–on that thirst-parlour dawg, and chawed.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
Every pull in the shoulders, every hitch in the back, every kink in the sleeves makes me a profound materialist.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
The burial of 3,000 Turks by armistice at Anzac seems to have been carried out without a hitch.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The organist might leave his Swell-box shut or, by means of a catch on the pedal, hitch it full open.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for hitch

hitch

/ (hɪtʃ) /

verb

to fasten or become fastened with a knot or tie, esp temporarily

(often foll by up) to connect (a horse, team, etc); harness

(tr often foll by up) to pull up (the trousers, a skirt, etc) with a quick jerk

(intr) mainly US to move in a halting mannerto hitch along

to entangle or become entangledthe thread was hitched on the reel

(tr; passive) slang to marry (esp in the phrase get hitched)

informal to obtain (a ride or rides) by hitchhiking

noun

an impediment or obstacle, esp one that is temporary or minora hitch in the proceedings

a knot for fastening a rope to posts, other ropes, etc, that can be undone by pulling against the direction of the strain that holds it

a sudden jerk; tug; pullhe gave it a hitch and it came loose

mainly US a hobbling gaitto walk with a hitch

a device used for fastening

informal a ride obtained by hitchhiking

US and Canadian slang a period of time spent in prison, in the army, etc

Derived forms of hitch

hitcher, noun

Word Origin for hitch

C15: 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

hitch

OTHER WORDS FOR hitch

OPPOSITES FOR hitch

Origin of hitch

OTHER WORDS FROM hitch

Words nearby hitch

Other definitions for hitch (2 of 3)

Origin of hitch

Other definitions for hitch (3 of 3)

Origin of hitch

OTHER WORDS FROM hitch

Words related to hitch

How to use hitch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hitch

Derived forms of hitch

Word Origin for hitch