BICYCLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bicycle mean? 

• BICYCLE (noun)
  The noun BICYCLE has 1 sense:

1. a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals

  Familiarity information: BICYCLE used as a noun is very rare.

• BICYCLE (verb)
  The verb BICYCLE has 1 sense:

1. ride a bicycle

  Familiarity information: BICYCLE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BICYCLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bicycle; bike; cycle; wheel

Hypernyms ("bicycle" is a kind of...):

wheeled vehicle (a vehicle that moves on wheels and usually has a container for transporting things or people)

Meronyms (parts of "bicycle"):

bicycle seat; saddle (a seat for the rider of a bicycle)

sprocket; sprocket wheel (thin wheel with teeth that engage with a chain)

foot lever; foot pedal; pedal; treadle (a lever that is operated with the foot)

mudguard; splash-guard; splash guard (a curved piece above the wheel of a bicycle or motorcycle to protect the rider from water or mud thrown up by the wheels)

kickstand (a swiveling metal rod attached to a bicycle or motorcycle or other two-wheeled vehicle; the rod lies horizontally when not in use but can be kicked into a vertical position as a support to hold the vehicle upright when it is not being ridden)

handlebar (the shaped bar used to steer a bicycle)

coaster brake (a brake on a bicycle that engages with reverse pressure on the pedals)

chain (a series of (usually metal) rings or links fitted into one another to make a flexible ligament)

bicycle wheel (the wheel of a bicycle)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bicycle"):

bicycle-built-for-two; tandem; tandem bicycle (a bicycle with two sets of pedals and two seats)

all-terrain bike; mountain bike; off-roader (a bicycle with a sturdy frame and fat tires; originally designed for riding in mountainous country)

ordinary; ordinary bicycle (an early bicycle with a very large front wheel and small back wheel)

push-bike (a bicycle that must be pedaled)

safety bicycle; safety bike (bicycle that has two wheels of equal size; pedals are connected to the rear wheel by a multiplying gear)

velocipede (any of several early bicycles with pedals on the front wheel)

Derivation:

bicycle (ride a bicycle)

bicyclist (a person who rides a bicycle)

• BICYCLE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they bicycle    ... he / she / it bicycles   
Past simple: bicycled   
Past participle: bicycled   
-ing form: bicycling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Ride a bicycle

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bicycle; bike; cycle; pedal; wheel

Hypernyms (to "bicycle" is one way to...):

ride (be carried or travel on or in a vehicle)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bicycle"):

unicycle (ride a unicycle)

backpedal (pedal backwards on a bicycle)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence examples:

They bicycle the countryside
They bicycle in the countryside

Derivation:

bicycle (a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals)

bicycler; bicyclist (a person who rides a bicycle)

 Context examples 

Out of them we dragged a bicycle, Palmer-tired, one pedal bent, and the whole front of it horribly smeared and slobbered with blood.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

My father had a small factory at Coventry, which he enlarged at the time of the invention of bicycling.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This worried him until the thought came to him of hiring a servant for Gertrude and of buying a bicycle for Marion.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Close to half of children in the study took part in sport every day, and a similar proportion actively commuted to school, travelling on foot, by bicycle or scooter.

(Children who walk to school less likely to be overweight or obese, study suggests, University of Cambridge)

Riding a bicycle for transportation or recreation.

(Bicycling, NCI Thesaurus)

Share the road with bicycles and motorcycles, and watch for pedestrians.

(Motor Vehicle Safety, NIH)

The researchers used a stationary bicycling test to gauge aerobic fitness.

(Exercise May Help Seniors with Word, Memory Problems, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

One is the bicycle with the Palmer tire, and we see what that has led to.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Martin talked with the superintendent of the Asa agencies, and after dinner he drew him aside with Hermann, whom he backed financially for the best bicycle store with fittings in Oakland.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The other is the bicycle with the patched Dunlop.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)