VocabauraVOCABAURA

bicycle

noun · verb

Simple meaning

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

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bysihkuhl

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbaɪsɪkəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

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

  2. A vehicle that has two primary wheels, one behind the other, a steering handle, and a saddle seat or seats and is usually propelled by the action of a rider's feet upon pedals.

  3. by extensionsometimes proscribed

    Any similar vehicle powered by human pedaling or steered with a handlebar, regardless of the number of wheels.

  4. The best possible hand in lowball.

  5. A traveling block used on a cable in skidding logs.

  6. BritishAustraliaNew Zealand

    A motorbike.

verb

  1. ambitransitive

    Ride a bicycle

  2. ambitransitive

    To travel or exercise using a bicycle.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

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

Used this way, bicycle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • wheel , more casual, better suited to speech than writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use bicycle

  • “He rode his bicycle to work every day for exercise.”

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “bicycle”. We review each one before it appears.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

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

wheelInformalcycle

verb

Sense: ride a bicycle

cyclewheelDatedbikepedal

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “bicycle” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.