motorcycle
Americannoun
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:
Harley-Davidson’s global motorcycle sales ticked up 0.5% to about 42,500 units, reflecting North American growth and soft international results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Umbu Ana allows his "ata" to earn a little money as a motorcycle taxi driver and to grow his own food on a small plot of land.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Craig Foreman was arrested with his wife, Lindsay, in January last year while passing through Iran on a motorcycle journey from Europe to Australia.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The collision, involving a motorcycle and a lorry, happened on the Coolmillish Road and was reported to police at about 11:40 BST on Friday.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Sometimes, I thought losing him was harder for her because she remembered so much more, and because the motorcycle had been a hand-me-down present from her.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
The company said it expects to sell more motorcycles this year than it previously expected to, after reporting strong North American sales in the second quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
According to a report by the government news agency Andina, external, neighbours said unknown individuals had set fire to motorcycles parked outside, with the flames spreading rapidly through flammable mattress-making materials.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Police conducted the sting in response to more than 100 calls for service this year involving minors riding electric bikes and motorcycles in an unsafe manner, according to the district attorney’s office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
"We had scooters and motorcycles our whole lives. But I always wanted a Vespa and eventually we got Vespas. Now I have two!"
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Nobody had ever given them motorcycles, and they were just as good as Ralph.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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
June 8… Norm and I went sailing; motorcycled to Loud Thunder.
From Through these Eyes The courageous struggle to find meaning in a life stressed with cancer by Isaacson, Lauren Ann
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
He added the auction would enable someone to "own a piece of motorcycling history" while celebrating Myers' legacy.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025
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
It was unconventional at least for a girl to be motorcycling about the country dressed in man's clothes with a chauffeur.
From The Apartment Next Door by Johnston, William Andrew
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.
