hitchhike
verb
hitch·hike
ˈhich-ˌhīk 
hitchhiked; hitchhiking; hitchhikes
1
: to travel by securing free rides from passing vehicles
2
: to be carried or transported by chance or unintentionally
destructive insects hitchhiking on ships
: to solicit and obtain (a free ride) especially in a passing vehicle
hitchhiker
noun
Examples of hitchhike in a Sentence
Her car broke down, so she had to hitchhike back home.
He hitchhiked his way across the country last summer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Agriculture specialists took samples from the shipments to look for disease and hitchhiking pests, including beetles, grasshoppers, wasps and moths.
—
Patricia Mazzei Scott McIntyre, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024
She was last seen Dec. 4, 1975, hitchhiking to see her boyfriend in Brighton, Colorado.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
In the future, Choong says, the researchers plan to look at whether the hitchhiking coastal species become a permanent part of open-ocean ecosystems and whether their extended presence will harm the species that call those oceans home.
—Tim Brinkhof, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2023
Background of the 'Slasher' case In 1975, three girls trying to reach an amusement center hitchhiked along the 800 block of East Washington Street when a man picked them up.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Jan. 2024
James Hennessy, the zoo’s director, told NBC News that hitchhiking small animals are a common problem.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024
The agency launched the little four-pound chopper in July 2020, with Ingenuity hitchhiking to Mars in the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024
Background of the 'Slasher' case In 1975, the three girls were trying to get to a teen hangout spot and decided to hitchhike along the 800 block of East Washington Street.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Jan. 2024
Also during this scene, Ben sees three hitchhiking ghosts that look similar to the ones that appear in riders' doom buggies at the experience's finale.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 July 2023
Patricia Mazzei Scott McIntyre, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024
She was last seen Dec. 4, 1975, hitchhiking to see her boyfriend in Brighton, Colorado.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
In the future, Choong says, the researchers plan to look at whether the hitchhiking coastal species become a permanent part of open-ocean ecosystems and whether their extended presence will harm the species that call those oceans home.
—Tim Brinkhof, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2023
Background of the 'Slasher' case In 1975, three girls trying to reach an amusement center hitchhiked along the 800 block of East Washington Street when a man picked them up.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Jan. 2024
James Hennessy, the zoo’s director, told NBC News that hitchhiking small animals are a common problem.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024
The agency launched the little four-pound chopper in July 2020, with Ingenuity hitchhiking to Mars in the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024
Background of the 'Slasher' case In 1975, the three girls were trying to get to a teen hangout spot and decided to hitchhike along the 800 block of East Washington Street.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Jan. 2024
Also during this scene, Ben sees three hitchhiking ghosts that look similar to the ones that appear in riders' doom buggies at the experience's finale.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hitchhike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1923, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Hitchhike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hitchhike. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
hitchhike
verb
hitch·hike
ˈhich-ˌhīk
: to travel by securing free rides from passing vehicles
hitchhiker
noun
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