pillion

1 of 2

noun

pil·​lion ˈpil-yən 

1

a

: a light saddle for women consisting chiefly of a cushion

b

: a pad or cushion put on behind a man's saddle chiefly for a woman to ride on

2

chiefly British : a motorcycle or bicycle saddle for a passenger

pillion

2 of 2

adverb

chiefly British

: on or as if on a pillion

ride pillion

Examples of pillion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The teens were riding on the bike, one driving and the other as the pillion passenger, when they were killed in the apparent hit-and-run in the early hours of Thursday, May 7, after a BMW struck their bike near Aberthaw Road in Newport, Wales, according to Gwent Police. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026

Tragedy In November 2017, the elder Razgatlıoğlu was riding his motorcycle through the streets of Antalya, Turkey, with his young girlfriend, Ülkü Özcan, who was riding pillion. — Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026

Direct your gaze to the compact two-into-two Akrapovic exhaust snaking its way to the rear, where a sharp pillion cowl caps the seat. — New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026

Melling rode along with them as a passenger in the pillion seat that gives the film its name, and accompanied some of them to Cambridge Pride. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Scots Gaelic or Irish; Scottish Gaelic pillean, diminutive of peall covering, couch; Irish pillín, diminutive of peall covering, couch

First Known Use

Noun

1503, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1852, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pillion

• billion
• million
• trillion
• castilian
• civilian
• cotillion
• pavilion
• postilion
• quadrillion
• reptilian
• vermilion
• vermillion

Kids Definition

pillion

noun

pil·​lion

ˈpil-yən

1

: a cushion or pad placed behind a saddle for an extra rider

2

: a saddle for a passenger on a motorcycle or bicycle