motorcycle
Americannoun
-
motorcycles
plural
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of motorcycle
Explanation
A motorcycle is a vehicle with two wheels, an engine, and no pedals. Don't forget to wear a helmet when you jump on your motorcycle! Like a bicycle, a motorcycle has two wheels, but while you power your bike by pedaling, a motorcycle's motor takes care of that. All you have to do is keep it full of gasoline. Motorcycles don't burn as much fuel as most cars, so they are a major form of transportation in many cities. Unfortunately, they're also much more dangerous. When motorcycles were invented in the 19th century, they were also sometimes called motocycles.
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.
See Examples For:
He’d also been seen around town on a nice new motorcycle.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
In August, she posted a series of photos posing on a Kawasaki motorcycle captioned “just a lil biker action this past weekend.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Car and motorcycle title loans should remain the company’s main drivers, while improving used-truck demand should support a resumption of truck lending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Former National Assembly deputy Nguyen Sy Cuong was indeed driving his car down Nguyen Huy Tu Street on 30 May, 2025, when his vehicle suddenly swerved across the road and into an oncoming motorcycle.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
“I’ll stay here,” answered Ralph, thinking of that long smooth hall waiting for his motorcycle.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
The meetup, billed as the biggest weekly car show in the world, frequently draws hundreds of vehicles to the Outlets at San Clemente including hypercars, supercars, hot rods, muscle cars and motorcycles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
License plates are used to connect registered vehicles to their owners and are issued to all passenger vehicles, including commercial motor vehicles, motorcycles, permanent trailers, trailer coaches and park trailers registered in the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
During communist days, chronic shortages and years-long waiting lists for cars like the puttering Trabant meant that mopeds and motorcycles became an indispensable way to get around.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Fatima explains how the raids unfold: "You could have 100 motorcycles, and each one could be carrying three people."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
We’d play jump rope, soccer, and hopscotch in that cul-de-sac, or we’d ride our bikes round and round, making zooming noises as if they were motorcycles.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
She has traveled and lived around the world, crisscrossed South America and Indonesia on her own, motorcycled through Europe and Turkey.
From New York Times ● May 28, 2019
He studied art at a Christian college and motorcycled through Europe in his early 20s to, he said, “sleep in fields and eat yogurt.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2017
In 1908 he motorcycled from John O'Groats to Land's End.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2016
The soldier motorcycled in to see the artist.
From Time Magazine Archive
At ten forty-five, the paraders were halted for some reason, and the General's runners motorcycled down along the line of march and told the bandmasters to keep on playing the liveliest of tunes.
From The Five Arrows by Allan Chase
While many Chinese cities have restricted motorcycling, Chongqing has embraced it and become a biker's paradise.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Starrs, a motorcycling novice, is emphasizing “joy and swagger.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
More people walked up the dunes, including Dan Tauber, who said he’d been motorcycling around the area with friends before deciding to break off from the group to experience the launch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2025
So I’m proclaiming this my summer of motorcycling on rice and beans.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2023
This incident meant another little pang, but the freshness of the morning and the exhilaration of the ride—for motorcycling has thrills which aviation does not know—helped banish all thoughts of an unpleasant morning.
From Tam o' the Scoots by Edgar Wallace
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.
