bike

1 of 3

noun (1)

plural bikes
1
: bicycle
They watch a middle-aged man pedal by on his bike, the carrier filled to the brim with its own pile of collectables.Joanne Ramondt
2
: motorcycle
More than 100,000 motorcyclists are expected to descend on tiny Sturgis, S.D., this week for the annual Black Hills Motor Classic, the country's biggest bike rally.Newsweek
3
: motorbike
Yes, those are motorbikes racing around an ice track. No, that doesn't mean you should take your motorbike out on some ice and ride as fast as you can. These ice racers are serious. They modify their bikes to perform on the slippery surface provided by the great Michigan outdoors.Jessica Shepherd
4
: stationary bicycle
It's four in the morning and DeBartolo is already whirring away on the exercise bike. He'll ride and read for 90 minutes without stopping, then hit the rowing machine, then the stair-climber.Rick Reilly

bike

2 of 3

verb

biked; biking

intransitive verb

: to ride a bike

bike

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural bikes
1
chiefly Scotland : a nest of wild bees, wasps, or hornets
2
chiefly Scotland : a crowd or swarm of people

Examples of bike in a Sentence

Verb We biked to the park. He bikes in the mountains.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
One day, during construction, Bell’s brother, who was 8 or 9 at the time, was riding bikes with his friends around the building site. Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024 The ground floor, now a gym, has enough room for a Peloton, treadmill, a stair climber machine, bike storage and weights. Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024 Ride a bike to the village of Malamocco or the San Nicolò Lighthouse. Maddalena Fossati, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2024 Browse your way through the shops of Mallory Square and Duval Street, and then rent a few bikes for a leisurely pedal through town. Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2024 But the bike’s range promises to be just as gargantuan. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024 One person could be seen cycling through the crowd dragging an artwork of a giant cannabis leaf on a trailer behind their bike, while another ceremoniously rolled a joint in front of television cameras. Jack Guy, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024 The four deputies approached Decker, who was walking and pushing his bike, when Nelson grabbed Decker’s backpack and attempted to detain him. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 30 Mar. 2024 Cities Shift from Customer to Regulator Enter dockless bikes in 2016, followed by dockless scooters in 2017 — and the entire ecosystem of micromobility was altered. Regina Clewlow, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Instead, your family will be treated to an old-timey experience filled with world-famous Mackinac Island fudge and days spent biking around the island, taking a ferry under the Mackinac Bridge, or cruising around the coast by kayak. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024 Visitors enjoy biking, fishing, swimming and relaxing here. Cynthia J Drake, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024 The sun shone as Londoners went out for their morning runs in the surrounding park, children biked under budding trees and tourists waited for the palace, where Catherine and her family live, to open the doors of its public areas to visitors. Megan Specia, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024 For the inside scoop, book a mural walking or biking tour with Florida CraftArt, which is a shoppable space boasting more than 250 fine craft artists. Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024 The girl was camping and had been biking a park loop with family friends on Nov. 30, then did a loop by herself and failed to turn up. Phil Helsel, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 The lanes have been popular with parents of young cyclists — but criticized by sport cyclists who bike long distances and travel at higher speeds. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024 Largely a residential isle, Holden Beach is all about simple pleasures, from biking and kayaking along with playing on the beach during the day, to ghost crabbing at night. Tracey Minkin, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2024 Here’s a little pocket guide to biking and grooving. Henry Everingham, SPIN, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

by shortening & alteration

Noun (2)

Middle English

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1885, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bike was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near bike

Cite this Entry

“Bike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bike. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

bike

noun
ˈbīk
bike verb
biker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bike

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