hitch a ride

Idioms

Also, thumb a ride. Solicit a free ride, especially by hitchhiking. For example, I've no car; can I hitch a ride home with you? or He was hoping to thumb a ride to the stadium. The verb hitch here alludes to walking unevenly, presumably to hop into a car or truck; raising one's thumb is the traditional signal for stopping a car on the road. [First half of 1900s]

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.

Here’s how you can hitch a ride on Elon Musk’s rocket company when it begins trading in June.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Would she be willing to hitch a ride with a crew that summer?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025

It's also used at shipping ports to kill pests before they can hitch a ride to other parts of the world.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2024

Ultra high-definition cameras from a UK start-up will hitch a ride to the International Space Station later.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2024

The three of them hitch a ride to the house on Palmas Street.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023