hitch
1 Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb (used with object)
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to fasten or tie, especially temporarily, by means of a hook, rope, strap, etc.; tether.
Steve hitched the horse to one of the posts.
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to harness (an animal) to a vehicle (often followed byup ).
- Synonyms:
- yoke
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to raise with jerks (usually followed byup ); hike up.
to hitch up one's trousers.
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to move or draw (something) with a jerk.
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Slang. to bind by marriage vows; unite in marriage; marry.
They got hitched in '79.
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to catch, as on a projection; snag.
He hitched his jeans on a nail and tore them.
verb (used without object)
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to stick, as when caught.
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to fasten oneself or itself to something (often followed byon ).
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to move roughly or jerkily.
The old buggy hitched along.
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to hobble or limp.
noun
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the act or fact of fastening, as to something, especially temporarily.
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any of various knots or loops made to attach a rope to something in such a way as to be readily loosened.
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Military Slang. a period of military service.
a three-year hitch in the Navy.
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an unexpected difficulty, obstacle, delay, etc..
a hitch in our plans for the picnic.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, catch, hindrance
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a hitching movement; jerk or pull.
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a hitching gait; a hobble or limp.
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a fastening that joins a movable tool to the mechanism that pulls it.
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Mining.
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a fault having a throw less than the thickness of a coal seam being mined.
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a notch cut in a wall or the like to hold the end of a stull or other timber.
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verb phrase
noun
verb
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to fasten or become fastened with a knot or tie, esp temporarily
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(often foll by up) to connect (a horse, team, etc); harness
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to pull up (the trousers, a skirt, etc) with a quick jerk
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(intr) to move in a halting manner
to hitch along
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to entangle or become entangled
the thread was hitched on the reel
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slang (tr; passive) to marry (esp in the phrase get hitched )
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informal to obtain (a ride or rides) by hitchhiking
noun
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an impediment or obstacle, esp one that is temporary or minor
a hitch in the proceedings
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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
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a sudden jerk; tug; pull
he gave it a hitch and it came loose
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a hobbling gait
to walk with a hitch
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a device used for fastening
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informal a ride obtained by hitchhiking
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slang a period of time spent in prison, in the army, etc
Other Word Forms
- hitcher noun
Etymology
Origin of hitch1
First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening
Origin of hitch1
First recorded in 1400–50; 1840–50 hitch 1 for def. 5; late Middle English verb icchen, hicchen, hitchen “to move rapidly or jerkily”; of obscure origin
Origin of hitch1
Origin uncertain
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.
Having never shot this area myself, we hitched a ride up the mountainside to a remote stretch with the local 4x4 club - an experience in itself.
From BBC
She modestly hitched up the garment, asked for a clip for her hair, which had come undone, and then went to help a fellow condemned Christian who had been knocked down.
Last Friday’s initial T-bill purchases by the Fed appeared to go off without a hitch, with funding-market liquidity showing various signs of easing.
From MarketWatch
The only hitch for anyone wanting to visit now is that the winter holidays mark one of the busier seasons for the tram, especially since it snowed at Mt.
From Los Angeles Times
Dividend growth, after all, is hitched to earnings growth, which has been resilient.
From Barron's
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.
