cyclist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cyclist
Explanation
If you ride a bicycle, you can call yourself a cyclist. It takes a lot longer for a cyclist to pedal up a hill than someone who's driving a car. Cyclist is short for bicyclist. Although you can use either word, cyclist has been more commonly used since the 1880s. Earlier, some people preferred to call bicycle riders "wheelmen" or "cyclers." You don't have to race in the Tour de France to be a cyclist; all you need is a two-wheeled vehicle that's propelled by pedaling, and a place to ride it!
Vocabulary lists containing cyclist
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cycl
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“He’s like inches away from my rear wheel,” Ben Byra, Fetzer’s friend and fellow cyclist, told KTLA.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
She was the only British female to win three medals at the same Olympics until track cyclist Emma Finucane matched it at Paris 2024.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
The data is publicly available External link, and Tesla has reported 10 incidents, ranging from hitting other cars to hitting a cyclist.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
Once, confronted with a contested four-way stop, Harvey waited for the offending cyclist to clear, then took his turn briskly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
Prosecutors yesterday confirmed they will appeal the “unduly lenient” sentence of a motorist who escaped prison after being convicted for the second time of killing a cyclist.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
