hitch

¹

[ hich ]

verb (used with object)

1. to fasten or tie, especially temporarily, by means of a hook, rope, strap, etc.; tether:

   Steve hitched the horse to one of the posts.

   Synonyms: hook, connect, attach

   Antonyms: loosen, loose

2. to harness (an animal) to a vehicle (often followed by up ).

   Synonyms: yoke

3. to raise with jerks (usually followed by up ); hike up:

   to hitch up one's trousers.

4. to move or draw (something) with a jerk.
5. Slang. to bind by marriage vows; unite in marriage; marry:

   They got hitched in '79.

6. to catch, as on a projection; snag:

   He hitched his jeans on a nail and tore them.

verb (used without object)

1. to stick, as when caught.
2. to fasten oneself or itself to something (often followed by on ).
3. to move roughly or jerkily:

   The old buggy hitched along.

4. to hobble or limp.

noun

1. the act or fact of fastening, as to something, especially temporarily.
2. any of various knots or loops made to attach a rope to something in such a way as to be readily loosened. Compare bend ¹( def 17 ).
3. Military Slang. a period of military service:

   a three-year hitch in the Navy.

4. an unexpected difficulty, obstacle, delay, etc.:

   a hitch in our plans for the picnic.

   Synonyms: impediment, catch, hindrance

5. a hitching movement; jerk or pull.
6. a hitching gait; a hobble or limp.
7. a fastening that joins a movable tool to the mechanism that pulls it.
8. Mining.
   1. a fault having a throw less than the thickness of a coal seam being mined.
   2. a notch cut in a wall or the like to hold the end of a stull or other timber.

verb phrase

1. to harness an animal to a wagon, carriage, or the like.

hitch

²

[ hich ]

noun

1. a minnow, Lavinia exilicauda, inhabiting streams in the area of San Francisco and the Sacramento River basin.

hitch

³

[ hich ]

verb (used with or without object)

, Informal.

1. hitchhike.

hitch

/ hɪtʃ /

verb

1. to fasten or become fastened with a knot or tie, esp temporarily
2. often foll by up to connect (a horse, team, etc); harness
3. troften foll byup to pull up (the trousers, a skirt, etc) with a quick jerk
4. intr to move in a halting manner

   to hitch along

5. to entangle or become entangled

   the thread was hitched on the reel

6. slang.
   tr; passive to marry (esp in the phrase get hitched )
7. informal.
   to obtain (a ride or rides) by hitchhiking

noun

1. an impediment or obstacle, esp one that is temporary or minor

   a hitch in the proceedings

2. a knot for fastening a rope to posts, other ropes, etc, that can be undone by pulling against the direction of the strain that holds it
3. a sudden jerk; tug; pull

   he gave it a hitch and it came loose

4. a hobbling gait

   to walk with a hitch

5. a device used for fastening
6. informal.
   a ride obtained by hitchhiking
7. slang.
   a period of time spent in prison, in the army, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈhitcher, noun

Other Words From

• hitcher noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hitch¹

First recorded in 1400–50; 1840–50 hitch ¹fordef 5; late Middle English verb icchen, hicchen, hitchen “to move rapidly or jerkily”; of obscure origin

Origin of hitch²

Origin uncertain

Origin of hitch³

First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of hitch¹

C15: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

One hitch: Trump recently changed his mind, joining TikTok in June and posting on social media, “Those who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump.”

From Los Angeles Times

At dawn, the three young men hitched a ride from a truck driver and made it to Aung Ban, a township in the southern Shan state.

From BBC

Daniel and Danielle Mason, from Fareham in Hampshire, were one of the last couples to get married - when they got hitched at 21:30 at night.

From BBC

There have been hitches too: last week Moscow’s diplomats were forced to step in after a “sociologist” linked to the former Wagner security outfit was briefly detained with three colleagues while visiting the Chadian capital.

From BBC

Two clearwing moths appear to have hitched a ride when they were larvae, travelling 4,500 miles from a tropical jungle in Guyana, South America, before ending up in Port Talbot.

From BBC

Related Words

• drawback
• glitch
• hindrance
• impediment
• interruption
• mishap
• snafu
• snag
• stumbling block