Bicycle Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms bicycle American [bahy-si-kuhl, -sik-uhl, -sahy-kuhl] / ˈbaɪ sɪ kəl, -ˌsɪk əl, -ˌsaɪ kəl /

noun

1. a vehicle with two wheels in tandem, usually propelled by pedals connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering and a saddlelike seat.

verb (used without object)

bicycled, bicycling

1. to ride a bicycle.

verb (used with object)

bicycled, bicycling

1. to ship or transport directly by bicycle or other means.

bicycle British / ˈbaɪsɪkəl /

noun

1. Often shortened to: cycle. bike. informal a vehicle with a tubular metal frame mounted on two spoked wheels, one behind the other. The rider sits on a saddle, propels the vehicle by means of pedals that drive the rear wheel through a chain, and steers with handlebars on the front wheel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. (intr) to ride a bicycle; cycle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• bicycler noun
• bicyclist noun

Etymology

Origin of bicycle

From French, dating back to 1865–70; bi- 1, cycle

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.

“We see a large volume of recovered items coming through our bus operations, for example bicycles that are typically left on the front bike rack,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier versions included a pink bicycle and a scene in which he imagined raising a child with his male crush, according to people who worked on the movie.

From The Wall Street Journal

We have seen many candidates in the 32 states we’ve bicycled through in the past five years.

From The Wall Street Journal

My first thought is: Since when did Karly come to school on a bicycle?

From Literature

Alarnab spent three months crisscrossing Europe in the back of lorries, aboard trains, on foot and even on a bicycle before he reached the UK.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bike

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.