bike

1 of 3

noun (1)

plural bikes
1
: bicycle
They watch a middle-aged man pedal by on his bike, the carrier filled to the brim with its own pile of collectables.Joanne Ramondt
2
: motorcycle
More than 100,000 motorcyclists are expected to descend on tiny Sturgis, S.D., this week for the annual Black Hills Motor Classic, the country's biggest bike rally.Newsweek
3
: motorbike
Yes, those are motorbikes racing around an ice track. No, that doesn't mean you should take your motorbike out on some ice and ride as fast as you can. These ice racers are serious. They modify their bikes to perform on the slippery surface provided by the great Michigan outdoors.Jessica Shepherd
4
: stationary bicycle
It's four in the morning and DeBartolo is already whirring away on the exercise bike. He'll ride and read for 90 minutes without stopping, then hit the rowing machine, then the stair-climber.Rick Reilly

bike

2 of 3

verb

biked; biking

intransitive verb

: to ride a bike

bike

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural bikes
1
chiefly Scotland : a nest of wild bees, wasps, or hornets
2
chiefly Scotland : a crowd or swarm of people

Examples of bike in a Sentence

Noun (1) likes to ride her mountain bike on weekends Verb We biked to the park. He bikes in the mountains. the boisterous bike that annually descends upon Edinburgh for the Fringe
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Police finally managed to capture Phillips after laying down spikes for his quad bike to run over after he was suspected of a burglary at a commercial address in Piopio. Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025 Lighting is all-LED, but then again, that is more or less standard with most bikes these days. New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Schweikhart’s team puts out craft beers and seasonal selections and names some of them after local places, like the Northwoods IPA, which is a nod to a 31-mile mountain-biking trail system north of town. Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025 The 19-year-old was recently photographed biking around New York City, wearing red flats and a blue and white striped sweatshirt. Hannah Sacks, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bike

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

by shortening & alteration

Noun (2)

Middle English

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1885, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bike was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bike. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

bike

noun
ˈbīk
bike verb
biker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bike

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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