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

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

Daddy didn’t want them to hitchhike anymore.

From Los Angeles Times

The pest has shown a remarkable ability to spread quickly and hitchhike, with dead specimens being found as close as Oregon and California.

From Seattle Times

While diving, he saw a shark with a remora—a fish which uses suction to hitchhike on larger species—attached to its body, and he had an idea.

From National Geographic

Related Words

• hitch