piggyback

1 of 4

adverb

pig·​gy·​back ˈpi-gē-ˌbak 

variants or less commonly pickaback

ˈpi-gē- 

ˈpi-kə-

1

: up on the back and shoulders

2

: on or as if on the back of another

especially : on a railroad flatcar

piggyback

2 of 4

noun

variants or less commonly pickaback

1

: the act of carrying piggyback

2

: the movement of loaded truck trailers on railroad flatcars

piggyback

3 of 4

adjective

variants or less commonly pickaback

1

: marked by being up on the shoulders and back

a child needs hugging, tussling, and piggyback rides

—Benjamin Spock

2

: carried or transported piggyback: such as

a

: of or relating to the hauling of truck trailers on railroad flatcars

b

: being or relating to something carried into space as an extra load by a vehicle (such as a spacecraft)

piggyback

4 of 4

verb

variants or less commonly pickaback

piggybacked also pickabacked; piggybacking also pickabacking; piggybacks also pickabacks

transitive verb

1

: to carry up on the shoulders and back

2

: to haul (something, such as a truck trailer) by railroad car

3

: to set up or cause to function in conjunction with something larger, more important, or already in existence or operation

intransitive verb

: to function or be carried on or as if on the back of another

Did you know?

Piggyback was first used in the 16th century as an adverb, meaning "up on the back and shoulders" (as in "the child was carried piggyback"). It comes from a phrase of unknown origin, a pick pack. There is also the less-common adverb pickaback. The verb piggyback didn't piggyback on the adverb until the 19th century.

Examples of piggyback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Coverage Prepaid providers piggyback on one of the Big Three’s networks. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025

The Reds’ piggyback plan worked — to an extent Zack Littell performed better than anyone expected and Nick Lodolo looked much more comfortable coming out of the bullpen this time, but Reds manager Terry Francona may have pushed his luck by sending Littell out for a fourth inning. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Mark Hamill also celebrated his Star Wars costar's birthday on Sunday by re-posting their infamous piggyback picture. —Glenn Garner, PEOPLE.com, 10 Apr. 2022

Trials in mice showed that this piggyback approach increased the ability of the immune system to recognize the toxin. —Lindsey Konkel, Discover Magazine, 25 Jan. 2010

Verb

The move piggybacks on an April executive order vowing to remove regulatory barriers and increase American coal exports. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025

Lefty Ranger Suarez is expected to piggyback off Nola's start, a surprising decision given how good Suarez has been all season long. —Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

alteration of earlier a pick pack, of unknown origin

First Known Use

Adverb

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1895, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing piggyback

• piggyback ride

Rhymes for piggyback

• almanac
• camelback
• cardiac
• carryback
• cluniac
• diamondback
• lumberjack
• maniac
• paperback
• quarterback
• saddleback
• stickleback

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Kids Definition

piggyback

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

pig·​gy·​back ˈpig-ē-ˌbak 

variants also pickaback

ˈpig-ē-ˌbak 

ˈpik-ə-

1

: on the back or shoulders

2

: on a railroad flatcar

piggyback

2 of 2 noun

: the act of carrying piggyback