hitched; hitching; hitches
1
: to move by jerks or with a tug
hitching his chair closer to the table
2
a
: 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
1
: to move with halts and jerks : hobble
hitched along on her cane
2
a
: to become entangled, made fast, or linked
b
: to become joined in marriage
3
: hitchhike
hitched back home
hitcher
noun
1
: limp
had a hitch in his step
2
: a sudden movement or pull : jerk
gave his trousers a hitch
3
a
: 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
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
Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The original Golden Bachelor is getting hitched again.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
On Sunday, Barner ran a short hitch route on second-and-15 in the fourth quarter.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hitch
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Verb
The trailer then cuts to scenes of characters flipping the bird, Kardashian getting hitched and — eventually — things totally falling apart.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The original Golden Bachelor is getting hitched again.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
Another demo, intended to show robots loading laundry into a washer-dryer, meets a similar hitch twice in a row, when a Figure 02 drops a piece of laundry on the floor and is unable to pick it up.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
On Sunday, Barner ran a short hitch route on second-and-15 in the fourth quarter.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hitch
Cite this Entry
“Hitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hitch. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hitch
2 of 2 noun1
: a jerky movement or pull
2
: an unexpected stop or obstacle
the plan went off without a hitch
3
: the connection between something towed (as a plow or trailer) and its mover (as a tractor, automobile, or animal)
4
: a knot used for a temporary fastening
5
: a period usually of military service
do a hitch in the army
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