hitch

[hich]

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.

Origin of hitch

1400–50; 1840–50 for def 5; late Middle English hytchen, of obscure origin

Related formshitch·er, noun

Synonyms for hitch

1. attach, connect, hook. 2. yoke. 14. hindrance, catch, impediment.

Antonyms for hitch

1. loose, loosen.

hitch

[hich]

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

hitchhike.

Origin of hitch

First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening

Related formshitch·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hitcher

Historical Examples of hitcher

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 hitcher

hitch

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 Formshitcher, 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

Word Origin and History for hitcher

1620s, "a hook, boat-hook," agent noun from hitch (v.). Meaning "hitchhiker" is from 1960.

hitch

mid-15c., probably from Middle English icchen "to move as with a jerk, to stir" (c.1200). It lacks cognates in other languages. The connection with icchen may be in notion of "hitching up" pants or boots with a jerking motion. Sense of "become fastened," especially by a hook, first recorded 1570s, originally nautical. Meaning "to marry" is from 1844 (to hitch horses together "get along well," especially of married couples, is from 1837, American English). Short for hitchhike (v.) by 1931. Related: Hitched; hitching.

hitch

1660s, "a limp or hobble;" 1670s, "an abrupt movement," from hitch (v.). Meaning "a means by which a rope is made fast" is from 1769, nautical. The sense of "obstruction" is first recorded 1748; military sense of "enlistment" is from 1835.