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)
-
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)
-
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)
Etymology
Origin of piggyback
First recorded in 1580–90; alteration of pickaback
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.
The most common type of down-payment assistance, according to Down Payment Resource, is a second mortgage, or piggyback loan, which has grown in popularity as affordability has challenged home buyers.
From MarketWatch
This was not isolated to its own network - it also caused problems for customers on networks that piggyback off of Three, such as ID Mobile.
From BBC
However, she did have a distant recollection of being given a piggyback ride by Dr. Westminster, the Swanburne veterinarian, when she was still a very small girl.
From Literature
While it's not clear what form this collaboration may take, it's a rare example of a global fashion giant acknowledging that it failed to credit local artisans and the craft it was piggybacking on.
From BBC
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
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.
