mountain bike

American

noun

a bicycle designed for off-road use, typically having a smaller and sturdier frame and smaller and wider tires than a standard bicycle.

mountain bike British

noun

a type of sturdy bicycle with at least 16 and up to 21 gears, straight handlebars, and heavy-duty tyres

"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

Etymology

Origin of mountain bike

1985–90

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.

“You want a mountain bike track, we’ll get you one.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

"He had such a great attitude. We'd chat between patients about trying to get in a mountain bike ride together. Will never happen now," Drekonja wrote on the social media platform Bluesky.

From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026

“We’d chat between patients about trying to get in a mountain bike ride together. Will never happen now.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

A gravel or mountain bike will work fine on Catalina.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

He returned, wheeling a creaking, rusty, thrift-store Huffy mountain bike.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

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