Meanings
nounmotorcycle (plural motorcycles)
plural motorcycles · alternative motor cycle · alternative motor-cycle
- An open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel, and having two (or sometimes three) wheels.
Vern rubbed her hands along the motorcycles, admiring their size and power, their silver and black sleekness.
2021, Rivers Solomon, Sorrowland, #Merky Books, page 433 more examples
Her big mission is to recover the precious Blue Star (a glowing rock in a box), which leads to a Western shoot-out, a space-age motorcycle gang, and an unamusing Darth Vader-esque villain.
1995 October 28, Steven Puchalski, “Can these sci-fi videos show us the Woman of the Future?”, in Sci Fi Entertainment, page 36That last problem did intrude on Hazzard’s roamings, and when she refers to the living city it is with periodic references to thefts of cars and wallets, with a warning not to carry anything “snatchable” by the thieves on motorcycles who whiz through the streets. Her husband, Francis Steegmuller, the critic, translator and biographer who died in 1994, had a bag snatched, and while he lost only a guidebook, he was badly injured as he held on to it and was dragged behind the attacking motorcycle.
2009 February 15, Judith Martin, “It Started in Naples”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2022Her breakout was the 2017 production “Nate” (available as a Netflix special) in which she played a toxic, handsy bro who drove a motorcycle onstage, guzzling beers, groping audience members and creating chaos.
2025 October 7, Jason Zinoman, “What Clowns! (That’s a Compliment)”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 07 Oct 2025Synonyms: bike, chopper, cycle, moped, motorbicycle, motorbike, autobike, autobicycle
verbmotorcycle (third-person singular simple present motorcycles, present participle motorcycling, simple past and past participle motorcycled)
present singular third person motorcycles · participle present motorcycling · participle past motorcycled · past motorcycled · alternative motor cycle · alternative motor-cycle
- intransitiveTo ride a motorcycle.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel, and having two (or sometimes three) wheels.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
- Proto-Italic*moweō
- Latinmoveō
- Latinmōtor
- Middle Englishmotour
- Englishmotor
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-redup.
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷékʷlos
- Proto-Hellenic*kʷókʷlos
- Proto-Hellenic*kúklos
- Ancient Greekκύκλος (kúklos)
- Late Latincyclus
- Middle Englishcicle
- Englishcycle
- Englishmotorcycle
From motor + cycle, from the Motorcyclette produced in 1897 by the French Werner Frères et Cie.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans motorfiets
- motorfietsopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Arabic مُوتُوسِيكِل, دَرَّاجَة نَارِيَّة
- مُوتُوسِيكِل (mōtōsīkil)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- دَرَّاجَة نَارِيَّةopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Bengali মোটরসাইকেল
- মোটরসাইকেল (mōṭrośaikel)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Bulgarian мотоцикле́т
- мотоцикле́т (motociklét)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Catalan motocicleta, moto
- motocicletaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Chinese Cantonese 電單車 /电单车, 摩托車 /摩托车
- 電單車 /电单车 (din⁶ daan¹ ce¹)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 摩托車 /摩托车 (mo¹ tok³ ce¹)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Chinese Mandarin 摩托車 /摩托车, 機車 /机车
- 摩托車 /摩托车 (mótuōchē)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 機車 /机车 (jīchē)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 摩托 (mótuō)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 機器腳踏車 /机器脚踏车 (jīqì jiǎotàchē)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 電單車 /电单车 (diàndānchē)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Czech motocykl, motorka
- motocyklopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motorkaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Danish motorcykel
- motorcykelopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Dutch motorfiets, motor
- motorfietsopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoropen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motorrijdento ride a motorcycle
Esperanto motorbiciklo, motorciklo
- motorbicikloopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motorcikloopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Estonian mootorratas
- mootorratasopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Finnish moottoripyörä, moottoripyöräillä
- moottoripyöräopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- moottoripyöräilläto ride a motorcycle
French moto, motocyclette
- motoopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motocycletteopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motocycleopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
German Motorrad
- Motorradopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Greek μηχανή, δίκυκλο
- μηχανή (michaní)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- δίκυκλο (díkyklo)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- μοτοσικλέτα (motosikléta)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- μοτοσυκλέτα (motosykléta)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- μοτοποδήλατο (motopodílato)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Hawaiian mokokaikala
- mokokaikalaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Hebrew אוֹפַנּוֹעַ
- אוֹפַנּוֹעַ (ofanóa)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Hindi मोटरसाइकिल, मोटरबाइक
- मोटरसाइकिल (moṭarsāikil)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- मोटरबाइक (moṭarbāik)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Hungarian motorkerékpár, motorbicikli
- motorkerékpáropen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motorbicikliopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Icelandic mótorhjól
- mótorhjólopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Indonesian sepeda motor
- sepeda motoropen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Irish gluaisrothar
- gluaisrotharopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Italian motocicletta, moto
- motociclettaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motocicloopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Japanese オートバイ, バイク
- オートバイ (ōtobai)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- バイク (baiku)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 自動二輪車 (jidō nirinsha)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 単車 (tansha)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Korean 오토바이, 모터사이클
- 오토바이 (otobai)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- 모터사이클 (moteosaikeul)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Latin autobirota
- autobirotaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Latvian motocikls
- motociklsopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Lithuanian motociklas
- motociklasopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Malay sepeda motor, motosikal
- sepeda motoropen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motosikalopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Māori motopaika
- motopaikaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Norwegian Bokmål motorsykkel
- motorsykkelopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Polish motocykl, motor
- motocyklopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoropen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- jeździć na motocykluto ride a motorcycle
Portuguese motocicleta, moto
- motocicletaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Punjabi ਮੋਟਰਸਾਈਕਲ, ਬਾਈਕ
- ਮੋਟਰਸਾਈਕਲ (moṭrasāīkal)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- ਬਾਈਕ (bāīka)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- ਮੋਟਰਬਾਈਕ (moṭrabāīka)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Romanian motocicletă
- motocicletăopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Russian мотоци́кл
- мотоци́кл (motocíkl)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Slovak motocykel, motorka
- motocykelopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motorkaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Spanish motocicleta, moto
- motocicletaopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoropen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- motoraopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Swahili pikipiki
- pikipikiopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Swedish motorcykel
- motorcykelopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Tagalog motorsiklo
- motorsikloopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Tamil விசையுந்து
- விசையுந்து (vicaiyuntu)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Thai จักรยานยนต์, มอเตอร์ไซค์
- จักรยานยนต์ (jàk-grà-yaan-yon)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- มอเตอร์ไซค์ (mɔɔ-dtəə-sai)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- รถเครื่อง (rót-krʉ̂ʉang)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- มอไซค์ (mɔɔ-sai)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Turkish motosiklet
- motosikletopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Ukrainian мотоци́кл
- мотоци́кл (motocýkl)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Urdu موٹَر سائِیکِل
- موٹَر سائِیکِل (moṭar sāīkil)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Vietnamese xe mô tô, mô tô
- xe mô tôopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- mô tôopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- xe máyopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
- xe gắn máyopen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Welsh beic modur
- beic moduropen-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Yiddish מאָטאָציקל
- מאָטאָציקל (mototsikl)open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel
Cite this entry
APA
motorcycle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/motorcycle
MLA
“motorcycle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/motorcycle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “motorcycle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/motorcycle.
Source: motorcycle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.