bike

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈbīk 

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

Synonyms of bike

Noun (1)

• bicycle

Noun (2)

• crowd
• throng
• swarm
• flock
• horde
• army
• multitude
• mob

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

Noun

For a precision folding bike where millimeter-perfect alignment dictates how smoothly the hinges open and close, keeping the metal perfectly straight is a manufacturing advantage. — New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026

And the concierge arranges virtually anything your heart desires, whether that's a private bike tour around the beaches of the Kennebunks, a hot air balloon ride, a cooking class, or a private dinner in the restaurant's wine cellar. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

Beyond the town’s artistic offerings, Brown County State Park, Indiana’s largest and an easy day trip from Indianapolis, draws visitors with more than 90 miles of hiking and biking trails twisting through blazing forests. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026

The younger competitors swam 100 meters, then biked just over 2 miles and ran a little over half a mile. — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

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

Phrases Containing bike

• dirt bike
• e-bike
• electric bike
• exercise bike
• fat bike
• fixed-gear bike
• fixed-wheel bike
• mountain bike
• push-bike
• quad bike
• road bike
• trail bike

Rhymes for bike

• dike
• hike
• ike
• like
• mike
• psych
• pyke
• shrike
• spike
• strike
• tike
• alike

Kids Definition

bike

noun

ˈbīk

1

: bicycle entry 1

2

: motorcycle

bike verb

biker noun