hike

1 of 2

verb

hiked; hiking

intransitive verb

1
a
: to go on a hike
b
: to travel by any means
2
: to rise up
especially : to work upward out of place
skirt had hiked up in back

transitive verb

1
a
: to move, pull, or raise with a sudden motion
hiked himself onto the top bunk
c
: to raise in amount sharply or suddenly
hike rents
2
: to take on a hike
3
: to traverse on a hike
hike a trail
hiker noun

hike

2 of 2

noun

1
: a long walk especially for pleasure or exercise see also take a hike
2
: an increase especially in quantity or amount
a new wage hike
3

Examples of hike in a Sentence

Verb We spent the afternoon hiking around the lake. She hiked 10 miles in the hot desert sun. We hiked some of the shorter trails. Our neighbors spent their vacation hiking the Rockies. The state keeps hiking the tax on cigarettes. There's talk of hiking the eligibility age. I hiked myself onto the ledge. Noun We went for a hike around the lake. The school lost a number of students after the tuition hike.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
At that time, the D.C. Council approved legislation hiking sales taxes at the arena, money that would go toward paying off the $50 million in bond financing. Meagan Flynn, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 After hiking the rate from near zero since March of 2022 to wrestle down high inflation, the Central Bank has stood pat since July as consumer price increases moderated substantially. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024 Take a hike through Dragon’s Back trail The best way to see Hong Kong is to hike it. Condé Nast, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2024 There’s also a croquet lawn, heated outdoor pool and cabanas, whirlpool, and terrace with chaises, plus access to hiking at the state reserve and golf at the iconic 36-hole course that hosts the PGA Tour’s annual Farmers Insurance Open. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024 Two years after the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates to tame prices, delinquency rates on credit cards and auto loans are the highest in more than a decade. Claire Ballentine, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 In February, Kennedy posted a photo on X of him hiking with Rodgers. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 In the dry months, families hike miles under the beating sun, hopeful their livestock can sip from a small plastic container, fed by a hose running high into the distant mountains. Megan Janetsky, Victor R. Caivano and Rodrigo Abd, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 One woman was found topless, and her jean shorts had been hiked up unusually high and were torn away, partially revealing her injured and bloodied groin. Becky Sullivan, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
Where the road meets up with Gooseneck, the route swings back north for the return leg of the hike. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024 In December, the department approved a 20% average rate hike for the company’s homeowner insurance policies. Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024 For the majority of streaming services, the hikes were their first price rises since launching more than a decade ago. Richard Smirke, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024 House Republicans accuse Biden of tax hikes on farmers, businesses in budget proposal. Fox News, 21 Mar. 2024 On the possibility of shifting to a hotel tax instead of a sales tax, Campillo stressed that a 1 percent hotel tax hike would only generate $30 million per year — far less than the $400 million from a 1 percent sales tax hike. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024 In the same note, Bhave correctly predicted the continued hikes and holds the Fed would impose throughout that year. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 While the hikes listed above are dog-friendly, most require your dog stay on-leash. Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 Senate leaders, however, want to first build a case to the public for tax hikes. Erin Cox, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

perhaps akin to hitch entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1809, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hike was in 1809

Dictionary Entries Near hike

Cite this Entry

“Hike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hike. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hike

1 of 2 verb
hiked; hiking
1
: to move or raise up
hike rents
2
: to go on a long walk
hiker noun

hike

2 of 2 noun
1
: a long walk especially for pleasure or exercise
2
: an upward movement : rise
a price hike

More from Merriam-Webster on hike

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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