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definitions

hitchhike

[ hich-hahyk ]
/ ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hitchhike ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), hitch·hiked, hitch·hik·ing.

to travel by standing on the side of the road and soliciting rides from passing vehicles.

verb (used with object), hitch·hiked, hitch·hik·ing.

to ask for or get (a ride) by hitchhiking.

noun

an act or instance of hitchhiking.

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RELATED WORDS

hitch, thumb

Nearby words

  1. hitchcock,
  2. hitchcock chair,
  3. hitchcock, alfred,
  4. hitchcock, sir alfred,
  5. hitcher,
  6. hitching post,
  7. hitchings,
  8. hitchings, george herbert,
  9. hithe,
  10. hither

Origin of hitchhike

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; hitch1 + hike
Related formshitch·hik·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hitchhike

British Dictionary definitions for hitchhike

hitchhike

/ (ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk) /

verb

(intr) to travel by obtaining free lifts in motor vehicles
Derived Formshitchhiker, 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
Word Origin and History for hitchhike

hitchhike

1921 (n.), 1923 (v.), from hitch, from the notion of hitching a sled to a moving vehicle (a sense first recorded 1880) + hike. Related: Hitchhiked; hitchhiking. Hitchhiker attested from 1927.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper