tricycle
Americannoun
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a vehicle, especially one for children, having one large front wheel and two small rear wheels, propelled by foot pedals.
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a velocipede with three wheels propelled by pedals or hand levers.
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a three-wheeled motorcycle.
noun
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a three-wheeled cycle, esp one driven by pedals
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a three-wheeler for invalids
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tricycle
From French, dating back to 1820–30; see origin at tri-, cycle
Explanation
For many kids, their first vehicle is a tricycle, or a small three-wheeled bike. Though a child's riding toy is what the word tricycle brings to mind, there are also adult-sized three-wheeled tricycles. A tricycle is safer and more stable than a bicycle with its two wheels, and some older or disabled people enjoy riding them. The original meaning of tricycle, in 1828, was "three-wheeled carriage," from the Greek treis, "three," and kyklos, "circle or wheel."
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:
“A child’s tricycle can physically be driven on an interstate, but we do not allow it because of the risks of using the technology in that environment,” they wrote.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
"We offer an alternative," said tricycle owner Ariel Estrada, 54, while acknowledging that Havana's fleet of three-wheelers was grossly unequal to Cubans' needs.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
As compensation, Baird’s family gave her an adult tricycle that she occasionally rides through the streets wearing a neon purple helmet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Welcoming the donations, Mr Sarfo said the cash was used to fund their activities - including paying for rubbish disposal and buying fuel for their tricycle to transport rubbish to a refuse site.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024
Only a few people were watching at first, and half of them were Heck’s Angels, a roving tricycle gang of four- and five-year-olds.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
Bikes, tricycles, roller skates and sidewalk games during the summer months were the norm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
"Right now, tricycles are the kings of the road," Romano joked.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
Lectric eBikes XP Trike2 – Traditional tricycles are notoriously unwieldy — hard to transport, tough to store, nearly impossible to strap to a standard bike rack.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
And all the kids want balls to bounce, tricycles to ride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
“Hey, hey, you girls, no more fighting!” said my father, as if Waverly and I were still children arguing over tricycles and crayon colors.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
