Boris bike

UK/ˈbɒɹɪs ˈbaɪk/

noun

A bicycle offered for hire in London, England as part of a bike-share scheme launched in 2010.

Meanings

nounBoris bike (plural Boris bikes)

plural Boris bikes

  1. UKinformalA bicycle offered for hire in London, England as part of a bike-share scheme launched in 2010.

    London’s blue “Boris bikes” are to be painted red under a seven-year sponsorship deal with Santander worth around £7m a year, it has been announced.

    2015 February 27, Gwyn Topham, “‘Boris bikes’ to be painted red under Santander deal”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
    1 more example

    Alan Waller, a sustainability analyst, says he is happy to be followed to the gym, provided the bikes are not referred to as "Boris bikes". "The scheme was secured under Ken Livingstone," he says. "Boris took all the credit. I try not to call them Boris bikes."

    [2014 July 26, Paula Cocozza, “A day in the life of a London Boris bike”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

Origin

After former Mayor of London Boris Johnson, associated with the launch of the hire scheme.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Boris bike. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Boris%20bike

MLA

“Boris bike.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Boris%20bike. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Boris bike,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Boris%20bike.

Source: Boris bike on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.