bike

/baɪk/

/baɪk/

Other forms: bikes; biking; biked

A bike is a pedal-powered two-wheeled vehicle. If you don't have time to walk to work, you might decide to ride your bike instead.

Bike is shorthand for a bicycle or a motorbike. A bike enthusiast might keep a bike rack on her car and a bike helmet in her trunk at all times. Bike is also a verb, so you could say: "I'll bike over to the movie theater — meet you there in fifteen minutes!" This word, as a nickname for bicycle, first appeared in American English in 1882. It came to mean "motorcycle" about 50 years later.

Definitions of bike

1. noun

   a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
   synonyms: bicycle, cycle, wheel

   types:

   bicycle-built-for-two, tandem, tandem bicycle

   a bicycle with two sets of pedals and two seats

   all-terrain bike, mountain bike, off-roader

   a bicycle with a sturdy frame and fat tires; originally designed for riding in mountainous country

   ordinary, ordinary bicycle

   an early bicycle with a very large front wheel and small back wheel

   push-bike

   a bicycle that must be pedaled

   safety bicycle, safety bike

   bicycle that has two wheels of equal size; pedals are connected to the rear wheel by a multiplying gear

   velocipede

   any of several early bicycles with pedals on the front wheel

   type of:

   wheeled vehicle

   a vehicle that moves on wheels and usually has a container for transporting things or people
2. noun

   a motor vehicle with two wheels and a strong frame
   synonyms: motorcycle

   types:

   minibike, motorbike

   small motorcycle with a low frame and small wheels and elevated handlebars

   dirt bike, scrambler, trail bike

   a lightweight motorcycle equipped with rugged tires and suspension; an off-road motorcycle designed for riding cross country or over unpaved ground

   moped

   a motorbike that can be pedaled or driven by a low-powered gasoline engine

   type of:

   automotive vehicle, motor vehicle

   a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not run on rails
3. verb

   ride a bicycle
   synonyms: bicycle, cycle, pedal, wheel

   types:

   unicycle

   ride a unicycle

   backpedal

   pedal backwards on a bicycle

   type of:

   ride

   be carried or travel on or in a vehicle