Standard Lemma guide

hitchhike

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhɪt͡ʃhaɪk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH IH1 CH HH AY2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A journey made by hitchhiking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Alternative form of hitchhiker (“advertisement at the end of a programme”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

Topics: advertising, broadcasting, business, marketing, media, radio

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road, generally by either sticking out one's finger or thumb or holding a sign with one's stated destination.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To try to get (a ride) in this manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, transitive

Examples

  • Pamela hitchhiked a ride to New York.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To be carried along with something else.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, intransitive

Examples

  • In genetic hitchhiking, a gene is propagated because it occurs in conjunction with a favourable mutation.
  • In cultural hitchhiking, a cultural trait spreads with a technologically advanced population.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

travel by getting free rides from motorists

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hitch, thumb

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ride

History

Etymology

From hitch + hike.

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ճանապարհորդել ավտոստոպով (čanaparhordel avtostopov) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Breton: c'hoari biz-meud — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Bulgarian: пътувам на автостоп (pǎtuvam na avtostop) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Catalan: fer autoestop — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Chinese Mandarin: 搭便車 /搭便车 (dābiànchē) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Chinese Mandarin: 順風車 /顺风车 (shùnfēngchē) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Chinese Mandarin: 搭車 /搭车 (dāchē) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Czech: stopovat — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Danish: tomle — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Danish: blaffe — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Dutch: liften — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Esperanto: petveturi — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Estonian: hääletama — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Faroese: tumla — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Finnish: liftata — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • French: faire de l'auto-stop — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • French: faire du stop — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Galician: facer dedo — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Galician: facer autostop — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • German: trampen — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • German: autostoppen — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • German: per Anhalter fahren — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Greek: κάνω οτοστόπ (káno otostóp) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Hebrew: תָּפַס טְרֶמְפּ (tafás trémp) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Hebrew: נָסַע בְּטְרֶמְפּ (nasá b'trémp) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Hungarian: stoppol — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Hungarian: stoppal megy — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Hungarian: autóstoppal megy — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Icelandic: fara á puttanum — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Ido: autostopar — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Japanese: ヒッチハイクする (hitchihaiku-suru) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Khmer: ឈរតាមផ្លូវសុំដោយសារឡានគេ (chɔɔ taam phləw som daoy saa laan kei) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Lao: ໂບກລົດ (bōk lot) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Latvian: īkšķot — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Latvian: stopēt — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Lithuanian: tranzuoti — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Lithuanian: keliauti autostopu — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Macedonian: стопи́ра (stopíra) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Macedonian: автостопи́ра (avtostopíra) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Māori: haere paoeke — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Mongolian: дайгдах — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Norwegian Bokmål: haike — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: haika — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Persian: اتواستپ کردن (oto-estop kardan) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Polish: łapać okazję — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Portuguese: pedir carona — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Portuguese: pedir boleia — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Romanian: face autostopul — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Romanian: sta la ocazie — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Romanian: sta la „ia-mă, nene” — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Russian: голосова́ть (golosovátʹ) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Russian: путеше́ствовать автосто́пом (putešéstvovatʹ avtostópom) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Scottish Gaelic: siubhail air an òrdaig — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Serbo-Croatian: stopirati — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Slovak: ísť autostopom — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Slovene: štopati — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Spanish: echar / jalar / tirar / halar dedo — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Spanish: hacer autostop / autoestop — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Spanish: hacer dedo — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Spanish: pedir un bote — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Swedish: lifta — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Tamil: கெஞ்சுப்பயணம் (keñcuppayaṇam) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Thai: โบกรถ (bòok-rót) — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Tongan: kole lifi — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Turkish: otostop çekmek — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road
  • Vietnamese: quá giang — to try to get a ride in a passing vehicle while standing at the side of a road