piggyback
Americanadverb
adjective
-
astride the back or shoulders.
a piggyback ride.
-
sharing commercial time, space, etc..
piggyback advertising.
-
carryable or attachable.
a piggyback turbine unit.
-
added or tacked on; supplementary.
a piggyback clause.
-
noting or pertaining to the carrying of one vehicle or the like by another, as the carrying of loaded truck trailers on flatcars.
verb (used with object)
-
piggybacks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
piggybacked,
past participle, past
-
piggybacking
present participle
-
to attach or ally to as or as if a part of the same thing.
to piggyback human rights agreements with foreign aid.
-
to carry (somebody) on the back or shoulders.
-
to carry (truck trailers) by railroad on flatcars.
-
Radio and Television Slang. to advertise (two or more products) in the same commercial.
verb (used without object)
-
piggybacks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
piggybacked,
past participle, past
-
piggybacking
present participle
-
to be transported aboard or atop another carrier.
The space shuttle piggybacked on the airplane.
-
to use, appropriate, or exploit the availability, services, or facilities of another.
private clinics piggybacking on federal healthcare facilities.
-
to carry truck trailers by railroad on flatcars.
noun
-
a house trailer designed to fit over a pickup truck.
-
a truck trailer carried on a flatcar.
-
anything that operates in connection with or as part of another.
noun
-
a ride on the back and shoulders of another person
-
a system whereby a vehicle, aircraft, etc, is transported for part of its journey on another vehicle, such as a flat railway wagon, another aircraft, etc
adverb
-
on the back and shoulders of another person
-
on or as an addition to something else
adjective
-
of or for a piggyback
a piggyback ride
piggyback lorry trains
-
of or relating to a type of heart transplant in which the transplanted heart functions in conjunction with the patient's own heart
verb
-
to give (a person) a piggyback on one's back and shoulders
-
to transport (one vehicle) on another
-
to exploit an existing resource, system, or product
-
(tr) to attach to or mount on (an existing piece of equipment or system)
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
piggybacksimple
-
piggybackssimple
-
have piggybackedperfect
-
has piggybackedperfect
-
am piggybackingprogressive
-
are piggybackingprogressive
-
is piggybackingprogressive
-
have been piggybackingperfect progressive
-
has been piggybackingperfect progressive
Past
-
piggybackedsimple
-
had piggybackedperfect
-
was piggybackingprogressive
-
were piggybackingprogressive
-
had been piggybackingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of piggyback
First recorded in 1580–90; alteration of pickaback
Explanation
To ride piggyback is to hang on to someone's shoulders as they carry you on their back. The best babysitters are happy to give endless piggyback rides. You can use piggyback as an adverb or a noun: "Will you give me a piggyback the rest of the way home?" It can also mean "use someone else's work for support or advantage," like when your idea of selling muffins piggybacks on your brother's existing plan to drive a bakery-themed food truck around town. Experts think piggyback comes from pickaback and the even earlier pick pack (think "backpack").
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:
When issued by parents, a piggyback loan can lower borrowing costs if they charge a lower interest rate than commercial lenders, though the primary mortgage lender must approve the arrangement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Their personalities shone during Butter, when Jungkook jumped onto Jin's shoulders and got a piggyback around the stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
At that length, the Dodgers won’t need to designate long relievers to piggyback Ohtani’s starts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
Now the brand is hoping to piggyback on the global popularity of F1 to reach a younger audience, even if it’s unlikely to appear near the front of the pack anytime soon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
But I was sad and wanted Leah to come back because she’ll pick me up and carry me piggyback sometimes, when she’s not hollowing at me for being a pest.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
This week’s apology piggybacks on a statement Gonzalez’s attorney released a day after the video made national headlines and caused public outrage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2025
Judge Wetherell’s decision piggybacks on a ruling in March when he shot down an earlier version of parole.
From Washington Times ● May 11, 2023
The bacteria piggybacks on the flour, so one advantage of making a sourdough starter from organically grown wheat or other grains is that it will have a more diverse array of bacterial species.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2023
For Netflix, he piggybacks on his sister's account.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2022
I give Leigh’s and Katherine’s kids a hundred airplane rides and piggybacks, or at least until I can’t stand up anymore.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
At UCLA, the project has piggybacked on ongoing research and relied on donations.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
On Feb. 1, she piggybacked off the Flynn campaign launch video to declare she’d “left Oxford to run Carrick’s campaign” and was “honored to work for him!”
From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2023
One of the rescued hikers moaned in pain and said "God is great" as she piggybacked on a rescuer, AFP news agency reported.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2023
She often piggybacked on Reign keeper Laurel Ivory to encourage teammates and celebrate moments during the match.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
“The boat dumped a rotten carcass or a spoiled haul, right? The flies piggybacked on the dead fish until they picked up Stef’s scent.”
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
The first Indian quick-commerce apps launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, piggybacking off a rewiring of urban shopping habits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
The breakthrough is to prove it can be done by piggybacking on the heat generated by another heavy industry – steel recycling.
From BBC ● May 22, 2024
Instead, the schools might consider piggybacking off the lawsuit that just concluded in Washington state with a resounding victory, at both the superior court and supreme court levels, for the Cougars and Beavers.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
In that case, the former president's attorneys have taken to piggybacking onto the motions from some of the 18 other co-defendants charged in the case.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2023
The ice pack, with Ocean Camp piggybacking along, made a steady three miles north every day.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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