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Hitch

//hɪt͡ʃ// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname transferred from the given name.
  2. 2
    Alfred Hitchcock informal
Noun
  1. 1
    A sudden pull.
  2. 2
    the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg wordnet
  3. 3
    Any of various knots used to attach a rope to an object other than another rope.
  4. 4
    any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome wordnet
  5. 5
    A fastener or connection point, as for a trailer.

    "His truck sported a heavy-duty hitch for his boat."

Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    a knot that can be undone by pulling against the strain that holds it; a temporary knot wordnet
  2. 7
    A problem, delay or source of difficulty. informal

    "The banquet went off without a hitch"

  3. 8
    a connection between a vehicle and the load that it pulls wordnet
  4. 9
    A hidden or unfavorable condition or element.

    "The deal sounds too good to be true. What's the hitch?"

  5. 10
    an unforeseen obstacle wordnet
  6. 11
    A period of time spent in the military. slang

    "She served two hitches in Vietnam."

  7. 12
    the state of inactivity following an interruption wordnet
  8. 13
    A large Californian minnow, Lavinia exilicauda.
  9. 14
    a period of time spent in military service wordnet
  10. 15
    A hole cut into the wall of a mine on which timbers are rested.

    "An upcast fault is when the seam is thrown up; to counteract this a "canch" of top stone must be taken down outbye over from the fault, and a "canch" of bottom stone taken up inbye over from the fault, then level up to the bottom of your "canch" at the foreside of the hitch outbye over until you have a regular gradient to the seam on the hitch."

Verb
  1. 1
    To pull with a jerk. transitive

    "She hitched her jeans up and then tightened her belt."

  2. 2
    to hook or entangle wordnet
  3. 3
    To attach, tie or fasten. transitive

    "He hitched the bedroll to his backpack and went camping."

  4. 4
    connect to a vehicle: wordnet
  5. 5
    To marry oneself to; especially to get hitched. informal
Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    jump vertically, with legs stiff and back arched wordnet
  2. 7
    Clipping of hitchhike, to thumb a ride. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal, transitive

    "to hitch a ride"

  3. 8
    walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury wordnet
  4. 9
    To become entangled or caught; to be linked or yoked; to unite; to cling. intransitive

    "atoms[…]which at length hitched together"

  5. 10
    travel by getting free rides from motorists wordnet
  6. 11
    To move interruptedly or with halts, jerks, or steps; said of something obstructed or impeded. intransitive

    "Frank’s breath hitched in his throat when he saw the knife being pointed at him."

  7. 12
    To strike the legs together in going, as horses; to interfere. UK, intransitive

    "Stolen[…]A brown Gelding[…]all his paces, and hitches a little in his pace."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Probably from Middle English hicchen, hytchen, icchen (“to move; to move as with a jerk”), of obscure origin. Lacks cognates in other languages. Compare itch, hike.

Etymology 2

Probably from Middle English hicchen, hytchen, icchen (“to move; to move as with a jerk”), of obscure origin. Lacks cognates in other languages. Compare itch, hike.

Etymology 3

From a medieval diminutive of the male give name Richard.

See also for "hitch"

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