motorcycle

noun

mo·​tor·​cy·​cle ˈmō-tər-ˌsī-kəl How to pronounce motorcycle (audio)
: an automotive vehicle with two in-line wheels
motorcycle intransitive verb
motorcyclist noun

Examples of motorcycle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web More than 300 students were taken early Thursday by the armed bandits on motorcycles who stormed the LEA Primary and Secondary School in the Kuriga village of Kaduna’s Chikun district, the state’s police spokesman Mansur Hassan said. Nimi Princewill, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Authorities in Stanislaus County arrested four men and seized drugs, a stockpile of firearms and ammunition and material to make bombs as part of a months-long investigation into outlaw motorcycle clubs in the region, law enforcement officials announced last week. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The pair was seen speeding off on their own motorcycles in an agave field — while not wearing any pants. Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Ludlow Historic Society presents program about the park, which had an 85-acre lake, clubhouse, dance hall, motorcycle racing and modern rides. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024 The driver of the motorcycle, a 26-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2024 Hardisty, a former friend of Silva, testified that the Hells Angels plotted to murder Silva due to his increasingly erratic behavior, culminating with him allegedly threatening a high-ranking club member during a motorcycle rally in New England. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Kansas City, Kansas, police sent a motorcycle crew to help escort the body of the deceased officer. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024 Not much of vacation, but at least at least MJ got to learn to ride a motorcycle, which is awesome. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'motorcycle.' 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

motor bicycle

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of motorcycle was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near motorcycle

Cite this Entry

“Motorcycle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motorcycle. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

motorcycle

noun
mo·​tor·​cy·​cle ˈmōt-ər-ˌsī-kəl How to pronounce motorcycle (audio)
: a motorized vehicle for one or two passengers that has two wheels
motorcycle verb
motorcyclist noun

More from Merriam-Webster on motorcycle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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