motorcycle

See also: motor cycle and motor-cycle

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

motor +‎ cycle, from the Motorcyclette produced in 1897 by the French Werner Frères et Cie.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈməʊtəˌsaɪkəl/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈmoʊtɚˌsaɪkəl/, [ˈmoʊɾɚˌsaɪkl̩]
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Hyphenation: mo‧tor‧cy‧cle

Noun

motorcycle (plural motorcycles)

  1. An open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel, and having two (or sometimes three) wheels.
    • 2021, Rivers Solomon, Sorrowland, #Merky Books, page 43:
      Vern rubbed her hands along the motorcycles, admiring their size and power, their silver and black sleekness.

Synonyms

Coordinate terms
  • bicycle, bike, e-bike (differentiated by societal convention even when having two or three wheels and a motor)

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

See also

Verb

motorcycle (third-person singular simple present motorcycles, present participle motorcycling, simple past and past participle motorcycled)

  1. (intransitive) To ride a motorcycle.

Translations
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