hitchhike

[hich-hahyk] /ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk/
verb (used without object), hitchhiked, hitchhiking.
1.
to travel by standing on the side of the road and soliciting rides from passing vehicles.
verb (used with object), hitchhiked, hitchhiking.
2.
to ask for or get (a ride) by hitchhiking.
noun
3.
an act or instance of hitchhiking.
Origin
1920-25, Americanism; hitch1 + hike
Related forms
hitchhiker, noun
Examples from the web for hitchhike
  • Because plants don't have that option, they must somehow hitchhike.
  • Children should never hitchhike or approach a car when they don t know and trust the driver.
  • Pets should be checked on a regular basis, as ticks can hitchhike and thus be moved considerable distances.
  • These mussels easily hitchhike on boats and are spread by unsuspecting boat owners.
  • They manage to escape backyard gardens and ponds with the help of birds, or they hitchhike on tires, shoes or animals.
  • Don't hitchhike or accept rides with casual acquaintances or strangers.
  • It protects water bodies from the many destructive invasive species that hitchhike on boats.
  • The bugs also hitchhike into homes on used furniture, clothing or other items brought from infested areas.
  • The disease does not affect the daylily bulb itself, but spores may hitchhike on the surface of the bulb.
British Dictionary definitions for hitchhike

hitchhike

/ˈhɪtʃˌhaɪk/
verb
1.
(intransitive) to travel by obtaining free lifts in motor vehicles
Derived Forms
hitchhiker, noun
Word Origin and History for hitchhike

1921 (n.), 1923 (v.), from hitch, from the notion of hitching a sled to a moving vehicle (a sense first recorded 1880) + hike. Related: Hitchhiked; hitchhiking. Hitchhiker attested from 1927.

Slang definitions & phrases for hitchhike

hitchhike

verb

To get free rides by standing beside a road and signaling drivers; hitch, thumb (1923+)