electric bike

noun

variants or e-bike

ˈē-ˌbīk 

or electric bicycle

plural electric bikes or e-bikes or electric bicycles

: a bicycle equipped with an electric motor that may be activated in order to assist with or replace pedaling

Just like any bike, electric bikes come with a ton of different technical specs that you may or may not care about.

—Adrienne So

For many years, e-bikes carried the stigma of being vehicles for lazy pedalers and seniors. The bikes draw power from a battery and motor to make pedaling significantly easier. You can also accelerate with the press of a button, transforming cycling from a strenuous exercise into a joy ride.

—Brian X. Chen

Examples of electric bike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The two rode electric bikes through the city, grabbed hamburgers, and made their way to Seventh Avenue and 46th Street to admire a digital billboard showing her latest American Eagle campaign. —Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 31 May 2026

Only regular bicycles and Class 1 and 2 electric bikes are permitted on the path. —Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026

The driver of a minivan struck a man riding an electric bike, Arcand said. —Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026

On the Iron Horse Regional Trail traversing Contra Costa and Alameda counties, the whir of electric bikes has become part of the summer soundtrack. —Maddie White, CBS News, 26 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for electric bike

• statesmanlike
• alike
• belike
• birdlike
• catlike
• childlike
• christlike
• deathlike
• dislike
• dreamlike
• friedreich
• godlike