Synonyms

hitchhike

American

[hich-hahyk] / ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk /

verb (used without object)

hitchhiked, hitchhiking

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

verb (used with object)

hitchhiked, hitchhiking

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

noun

an act or instance of hitchhiking.

hitchhike British

/ ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk /

verb

(intr) to travel by obtaining free lifts in motor vehicles

"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

Other Word Forms

hitchhiker noun

Etymology

Origin of hitchhike

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; hitch ¹ + hike

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.

"When I run out of money, I will hitchhike or walk," she says.

From BBC

Police believed she had tried to hitchhike her way home.

From BBC

Joe had a job delivering groceries and would hitchhike home when done.

From Seattle Times

“Within a month, I quit school and hitchhiked to New York.”

From New York Times

Even his boyhood was part of the lore: how he tried to hitchhike from Texas to Los Angeles during World War II on rumors that California would allow 16-year-olds to enlist.

From Washington Post

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