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

But there wouldn’t be a movie if that went off without a hitch, and as the situation begins to deteriorate, Fargeat amps up the gore and gruesomeness to epic levels.

From Los Angeles Times

Then he had to spend a week at home watching Democrats pull off their convention without a hitch, just a month after an unprecedented switch at the top of the ticket.

From Salon

I don’t care if Gov. Walz retired as an E-8 rather than as an E-9, or that he retired with 24 years of creditable National Guard service instead of re-upping for yet another hitch.

From Salon

And while his campaign to earn goodwill and build partnerships south of the Sahara has not always advanced without a hitch - hopes of being received by President Cyril Ramaphosa during a visit to South Africa late last year were disappointed - there have also been important successes.

From BBC

With only 87 days until the election at the time of the rally, both the excitement and the crowd size associated with the Harris-Walz campaign has put a hitch in Donald Trump and JD Vance's giddyup, with Trump bemoaning his relatively puny turnout at recent events of his own.

From Salon

Related Words

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