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:
In the afternoon, Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler toured Weimar by motorcycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“He stole a motorcycle and rode it around. He almost knocked a bunch of grips and gaffers off their ladders,” André recalled in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The boy had been with his father, who was getting his motorcycle tyre pumped up at the mechanic's shop.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Flavio Bolsonaro was taking part in a motorcycle rally about 400km away in Sao Paulo state.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
We’ll see about that, thought Ralph, determined not to let the lub-dub of Ryan’s heart lull him to sleep again until he figured out how to get that motorcycle back.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
The U.S. announced an outright ban on the importation of large motorcycles from Canada starting later this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
On Tuesday, new US tariffs came into effect on a number of Canadian goods while some others were lifted, and bans on goods like alcohol and motorcycles are due to come into force next week.
From BBC ● 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
It was also carrying goods, an electric vehicle, a pickup truck and motorcycles.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
An icon that somewhat resembles the Stadel lion-man appears today on cars, trucks and motorcycles from Paris to Sydney.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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
That blocked the pipeline bringing new people into motorcycling, said Christy LaCurelle, president and chief executive of the Motorcycle Industry Council.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Tom Setterlund is a retired safety engineer who spends his time backcountry motorcycling, mostly on fire roads in the San Bernardino National Forest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
So I’m proclaiming this my summer of motorcycling on rice and beans.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2023
"I've seen a red deer too," he said, "when I was motorcycling up to Ross this summer."
From The Judge by Rebecca West
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