hitch

1
[ hich ]
See synonyms for: hitchhitched on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)

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

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

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

  2. to move or draw (something) with a jerk.

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

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

verb (used without object)

  1. to stick, as when caught.

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

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

  2. to hobble or limp.

noun

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

  2. 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).

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

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

  3. a hitching movement; jerk or pull.

  4. a hitching gait; a hobble or limp.

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

  6. 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

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

Origin of hitch

1
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 for hitch

Opposites for hitch

Other words from hitch

  • hitcher, noun

Other definitions for hitch (2 of 3)

hitch2
[ hich ]
noun

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

Origin of hitch

2
Origin uncertain

Other definitions for hitch (3 of 3)

hitch3
[ hich ]
verb (used with or without object), nounInformal.

  1. hitchhike.

Origin of hitch

3
First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening

Other words from hitch

  • hitcher, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hitch in a sentence

  • I just had time to give the boat a shove with the hitcher when down it come.

    Blue Jackets | George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for hitch

hitch

/ (hɪtʃ) /

verb

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

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

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

  2. (intr) mainly US to move in a halting manner: to hitch along

  3. to entangle or become entangled: the thread was hitched on the reel

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

  5. informal to obtain (a ride or rides) by hitchhiking

noun

  1. an impediment or obstacle, esp one that is temporary or minor: a hitch in the proceedings

  2. 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

  1. a sudden jerk; tug; pull: he gave it a hitch and it came loose

  2. mainly US a hobbling gait: to walk with a hitch

  3. a device used for fastening

  4. informal a ride obtained by hitchhiking

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

Origin of hitch

1
C15: of uncertain origin

Derived forms of hitch

  • hitcher, noun

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

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