hitchhike

[ hich-hahyk ]

verb (used without object)

, hitch·hiked, hitch·hik·ing.

1. to travel by standing on the side of the road and soliciting rides from passing vehicles.

verb (used with object)

, hitch·hiked, hitch·hik·ing.

1. to ask for or get (a ride) by hitchhiking.

noun

1. an act or instance of hitchhiking.

hitchhike

/ ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk /

verb

1. intr to travel by obtaining free lifts in motor vehicles

Derived Forms

• ˈhitchˌhiker, noun

Other Words From

• hitchhiker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hitchhike¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; hitch ¹ + hike

Example Sentences

They started to move east — “hundreds of thousands of men, women, children, and babies ... walking, hitchhiking, hopping freights,” as Paul Dickson and Thomas B. Allen reported in their 2004 book about the Bonus Army.

From Los Angeles Times

It took Paul Simon four days to hitchhike from Saginaw, or so he sang in America, his iconic soundscape ballad of the 1960s with its lost souls on the highways of a country in flux.

From BBC

Nicole and I back in the day used to hitchhike down to the beach.

From Los Angeles Times

Following its evolution, the German cockroach spread from Southeast Asia, hitchhiking around the world in association with humans.

From Science Daily

They traveled west to the Middle East about 1,200 years ago, perhaps hitchhiking in soldiers’ breadbaskets.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• hitch