bicycle
noun
bi·cy·cle
| \ ˈbī-si-kəl
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī-\
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī-\
Definition of bicycle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a vehicle with two wheels tandem, handlebars for steering, a saddle seat, and pedals by which it is propelled
also
: a stationary exercise machine that resembles such a vehicle
bicycle
verb
bicycled;
bicycling\ ˈbī-si-k(ə-)liŋ
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī- \
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī- \
Definition of bicycle (Entry 2 of 2)
: to ride a bicycle
: to move (one's legs) as if pedaling a bicycle
Naomi and I lay on the bed, bicycling our legs in the air in the lazy giggly manner of summer …— Sophie Masson
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Other Words from bicycle
Verb
bicycler
\ ˈbī-si-klər
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī- \
noun
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī- \
noun
bicyclist
\ ˈbī-si-klist
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī- \
noun
, -ˌsi- also -ˌsī- \
noun
Synonyms for bicycle
Synonyms: Noun
bike, cycle, push-bike (also push bicycle) [British], two-wheeler, velocipede [archaic]
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Examples of bicycle in a Sentence
Noun
the range of the boy's explorations vastly expanded when he acquired his first bicycleRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Emma Hernandez was riding her bicycle near her home in Southwest Detroit on Monday when the three pit bulls escaped through dilapidated fences and attacked her, according to police. — Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News, "Dad of 9-year-old Detroit girl mauled to death by pit bulls had argued with owner, family says," 21 Aug. 2019 Initial reports said the girl and another child were riding their bicycles when the dogs attacked. — Ann Zaniewski, USA TODAY, "9-year-old girl fatally mauled by 3 dogs in Detroit; pet owner arrested," 20 Aug. 2019 Initial reports said the girl and another child were riding their bicycles when the dogs attacked. — Ann Zaniewski, Detroit Free Press, "Girl, 9, fatally mauled by dogs in Detroit; pet owner arrested," 19 Aug. 2019 At some point, the truck made contact with Faulkner, who went down on his bicycle and got caught up underneath the truck, resulting in him getting run over by the truck and killed. — Forum News Service, Twin Cities, "Bicyclist, 81, killed by water tanker west of Rochester, sheriff says," 14 Aug. 2019 The middle school made the news in 2010 when a campus supervisor, citing concern about racial tension, told a student to remove an American flag from his bicycle. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "California teacher told to stop handing out ‘Gender Unicorn’ to students," 12 Aug. 2019 As police were arriving, the man attempted to flee on his bicycle. — oregonlive.com, "Speeding, swerving driver was trying to impress girlfriend: Forest Grove police log," 12 Aug. 2019 Two things that struck her odd were that the suspect appears to have brought his bicycle into their home and then rushed to carry it back outside when the Cummingses were awakened by the alarm system. — Yvonne Wenger, baltimoresun.com, "Crowdsourcing to solve a crime: Rockeymoore Cummings turns to Twitter for leads on home invasion," 10 Aug. 2019 Children line up with their bicycles to wait for the players, who each pick a bike to ride into practice -- cartoon characters, colorful paint and all. — Lauren M. Johnson, CNN, "NFL star J.J. Watt breaks a boy's bike fulfilling a childhood dream in Green Bay," 5 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
But bicycling, especially for children, is a little bit scary. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Santee moving on making streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists," 5 Aug. 2019 Stephanie Ward was one of several Star Creek neighbors who strolled or bicycled by, or sought to avoid the reporters and TV cameras on their morning walk on a cool and overcast Sunday. — John C Moritz, USA TODAY, "Quiet Texas neighborhood stunned by connection to El Paso shooting suspect," 4 Aug. 2019 Firefighters were working to rescue a child that fell down a cliff while bicycling at Aquatic Park in San Francisco on Friday afternoon. — Lauren Hernández, SFChronicle.com, "Cliffside rescue underway for father, child at Aquatic Park," 9 Aug. 2019 Rotary also promotes international fellowship friendships through sharing hobbies such as bicycling, sailing and quilting. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Someone San Diego Should Know: Marta Knight," 24 June 2019 The aim is to find walking and bicycling improvements on Main and Barre streets. — USA TODAY, "Emoji house, Saharan dust, turtle crossing: News from around our 50 states," 8 Aug. 2019 Santee is currently collecting and evaluating pedestrian and bicycling recommendations by residents and other interested parties. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Santee moving on making streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists," 5 Aug. 2019 New York’s streets have seen an increase in bicycling while also becoming more perilous, in part because of surging truck traffic fueled by the booming e-commerce industry. — New York Times, "Cyclist Killed by Cement Truck and 2 Other Deaths Spur ‘Emergency’," 3 July 2019 Fortunately, none of the race participants were seriously injured, according to British bicycling website Bikesy. — Matt Mcnulty, PEOPLE.com, "'Mountain of Hell' Bike Race Results in Enormous Crash and Pileup as Cyclists Are Sent Flying," 3 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bicycle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for bicycle
bicycle
noun
English Language Learners Definition of bicycle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a 2-wheeled vehicle that a person rides by pushing on foot pedals
bicycle
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of bicycle (Entry 2 of 2)
: to ride a bicycle
See the full definition for bicycle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
bicycle
noun
bi·cy·cle
| \ ˈbī-ˌsi-kəl
\
\
Kids Definition of bicycle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a light vehicle having two wheels one behind the other, handlebars, a seat, and pedals by which it is made to move
bicycle
verb
bicycled;
bicycling\ ˈbī-ˌsi-kə-liŋ