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Synonyms

bike

1 American  
[bahyk] / baɪk /

noun

  1. Informal.

    1. a bicycle.

    2. a motorbike.

    3. a motorcycle.

  2. Harness Racing. a sulky with tires like those of a bicycle.

verb (used without object)

biked, biking

  1. to ride a bike.

    I bike to work.

idioms

  1. get off one's bike, to lose control of oneself or become angry.

bike 2 American  
[bahyk] / baɪk /

noun

Scot. and North England.

  1. a colony, nest, or swarm of wild bees, wasps, or hornets.

  2. a teeming crowd; swarm of people.

bike 1 British  
/ baɪk /

noun

  1. informal short for bicycle motorcycle

  2. slang away you go

  3. slang to lose one's self-control

"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

noun

  1. slang a promiscuous woman

    the town bike
"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
bike 2 British  
/ baɪk, bəɪk /

noun

  1. a wasps' or bees' nest

"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. to swarm

"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

Etymology

Origin of bike1

1880–85, alteration of bicycle

Origin of bike2

1250–1300; Middle English, equivalent to *bi bee (< Old Norse bȳ bee 1 ) + *yeke, Old English gēoc help, safety

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.

Several times while training for Ironman triathlons, I’ve crashed my bike and jumped right back up—there was so much adrenaline flowing that I didn’t feel pain in the moment.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the release of Coco 2, the company is eyeing faster deliveries using bike lanes and road shoulders as opposed to just sidewalks, in cities where it’s safe to do so.

From Los Angeles Times

The judge said the bike should never have been on the road in the first place.

From BBC

Jones also noted how Davidson's bike had been stolen on the night of the awards, but was later found by police.

From BBC

The other plaintiff said he would be forced to bike home from his bartending job at around 3 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.