hitch

verb

\ ˈhich

hitched; hitching; hitches

Definition of hitch

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to move by jerks or with a tug hitching his chair closer to the table

2a : to catch or fasten by or as if by a hook or knot hitched his horse to the fence post

b(1) : to connect (a vehicle or implement) with a source of motive power hitch a rake to a tractor

(2) : to attach (a source of motive power) to a vehicle or instrument hitch the horses to the wagon

c : to join in marriage got hitched

3 : hitchhike hitched a ride into town

intransitive verb

1 : to move with halts and jerks : hobble hitched along on her cane

2a : to become entangled, made fast, or linked

b : to become joined in marriage

3 : hitchhike hitched back home

hitch

noun

Definition of hitch (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : limp had a hitch in his step

2 : a sudden movement or pull : jerk gave his trousers a hitch

3a : a sudden halt : stoppage a hitch in the performance

b : a usually unforeseen difficulty or obstacle The plan went off without a hitch.

4 : the act or fact of catching hold

5 : a connection between a vehicle or implement and a detachable source of power (such as a tractor or horse) attached a trailer hitch to his pickup

6 : a delimited period especially of military service serving a four-year hitch in the navy

7 : any of various knots used to form a temporary noose in a line or to secure a line temporarily to an object

8 : lift entry 2 sense 5b catching a hitch into town

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Examples of hitch in a Sentence

Verb

hitch a trailer to a car He hitched across the country last summer. He hitched his way across the country last summer.

Noun

The plan went off without a hitch. He went back to college after doing his hitch in the army. a seven-year hitch at the newspaper

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The next afternoon, White hitched a ride downtown to the EMASS office, where one of the company’s bond-compliance officers, Nick Buss, clipped a black box around his left ankle. — Ava Kofman, ProPublica, "Digital Jail: How Electronic Monitoring Drives Defendants Into Debt," 3 July 2019 Some would hitch rides with the Luftwaffe and transmit weather readings from remote locations on the edge of Europe. — Hannah Fry, The New Yorker, "Why Weather Forecasting Keeps Getting Better," 24 June 2019 Another man, Orlando Wilks, hitched a ride to a warming center. — Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, "BART’s end of the line surges with homeless as misery plays out each night," 22 June 2019 The plant often hitches rides on boat propellers, in bilge water and on floatplane floats. — Author: Elizabeth Earl, Anchorage Daily News, "Invasive elodea prompts closure of Susitna Valley lakes," 20 June 2019 Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Haupt hitched a team of horses to a wagon to help haul supplies. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky paratrooper who jumped into D-Day considers himself 'luckiest guy in the world'," 3 June 2019 Zoë Kravitz and Karl Glusman, who are also already hitched, are reportedly doing the same thing, also in France. — Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, "Karlie Kloss Had A Second Sunset Wedding In Wyoming This Weekend," 25 June 2019 Also hitching a ride was the Planetary Society’s crowdfunded LightSail 2, a small spacecraft powered by sunlight that may hold the key to missions to other solar systems. — Chabeli Herrera, orlandosentinel.com, "SpaceX successfully launches Falcon Heavy for the third time in its most complex mission yet," 25 June 2019 Though the two got officially hitched in Las Vegas after the Billboard Music Awards, their bigger, fancier wedding is reportedly set to take place in France, with a slew of celebrity guests in attendance. — Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, "Sophie Turner's GOT Stunt Double Looked So Much Like Her, Joe Jonas Almost Kissed Her," 7 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The bride says the surprise went off without a hitch. — Hollie Silverman, CNN, "This bride had 34 bridesmaids in her wedding and says she would have had more if she could have," 25 June 2019 Friday went off without a hitch, and our kids even slept in a bit Saturday. — Washington Post, "Parents are experts at juggling. But here’s what happened the day I dropped the ball.," 7 June 2019 Aside from some questionable tailoring, Trump's state banquet with the queen went by without a hitch. — NBC News, "Trump's U.K. visit had its thrills and spills but not the drama some expected," 6 June 2019 Since the first show in 2010, the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards have never gone off without a memorable hitch. — Brenda Cronin, WSJ, "‘Everybody Likes a Good Crash’: The Awards Ceremony Where Something Always Goes Wrong," 3 May 2019 According to the official, the operation went off without a hitch. — Joshua Goodman, The Seattle Times, "After 7 long years, Assange’s capture happened quickly," 16 Apr. 2019 The workplace-messaging company is set to follow Spotify Technology SA in debuting on the NYSE through a direct listing, according to people familiar with the matter, after the music streamer’s listing last year went off without a major hitch. ... — Maureen Farrell, WSJ, "Slack Chooses NYSE for Direct Listing," 1 Apr. 2019 Williams’s inaugural campaign went off without hitch in ‘14–15, filling an adequate off-ball role on the wing as a sophomore in Trent Johnson’s scheme. — Jake Fischer, SI.com, "Kenrich Williams and the NBA Draft's Most Interesting Haircut," 20 June 2018 Another hitch came last year when Mr. Trump upended a decades-old tradition by not hosting a gathering for iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan. — Catie Edmondson, New York Times, "On Islam, Trump Takes a Different Approach at Home and Abroad," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hitch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for hitch

The first known use of hitch was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for hitch

hitch

verb

English Language Learners Definition of hitch

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to attach, fasten, or connect (something) with a hook, knot, etc.

hitch

noun

English Language Learners Definition of hitch (Entry 2 of 2)

: a hidden problem that makes something more complicated or difficult to do

: a device that is used to connect one thing (such as a plow or trailer) to another (such as a tractor, car, or animal)

US, informal : a period of service in the military, at a job, etc.

See the full definition for hitch in the English Language Learners Dictionary

hitch

verb

\ ˈhich

hitched; hitching

Kids Definition of hitch

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to fasten by or as if by a hook or knot Hitch the horses to the wagon.

2 : hitchhike

3 : to pull or lift (something) with a quick movement

hitch

noun

Kids Definition of hitch (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an unexpected stop or problem Even their opening performance in Seattle went off without a hitch …— Richard and Florence Atwater, Mr. Popper's Penguins

2 : a jerky movement or pull He gave his pants a hitch.

3 : a knot used for a temporary fastening