Piggyback

adj, adv, noun, verb

adj, adv, noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A ride on somebody's back or shoulders.
  • Grammar: piggyback is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: append data, associated, attach data, attached.
  • Useful contrasts: detach data, dismount, independence.
  • Usage evidence: Tom gave Mary a piggyback ride.

How to use "piggyback"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "piggyback" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "piggyback" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "piggyback" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "piggyback" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "piggyback" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "append data" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "piggyback", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A ride on somebody's back or shoulders. countable
  2. 2
    the act of carrying something piggyback wordnet
  3. 3
    An act or instance of piggybacking. countable, uncountable

    "The growth is taken for granted; what absorbs Americans today is the implication of piggyback for gross revenues and, more important, net profits."

  4. 4
    The connection of one intravenous drip to another. countable, uncountable

    "Piggyback medications are given through a port of an existing intravenous site. […] Calculation of the drip rate for piggybacks is the same as any other drip rate."

Verb
  1. 1
    To carry (someone) on the back or shoulders. transitive
  2. 2
    bring into alignment with wordnet
  3. 3
    To ride on someone's back or shoulders. transitive
  4. 4
    support on the back and shoulders wordnet
  5. 5
    To attach or append something to another (usually larger) object or event. ambitransitive

    "They tried to piggyback that proposal on the rivers and harbors bill."

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    haul by railroad car wordnet
  2. 7
    To obtain a wireless internet connection by bringing one's own computer within the range of another's wireless connection without that subscriber's permission or knowledge. Internet, transitive
  3. 8
    haul truck trailers loaded with commodities on railroad cars wordnet
  4. 9
    To utilize "last-mile" wiring rented from a larger owner ISP by a smaller ISP. Internet, transitive
  5. 10
    ride on someone's shoulders or back wordnet
  6. 11
    To transport (a lorry/truck) on a flatbed railway wagon. transitive

    "American railroads are not permitted to operate long-haul road routes, but the I.C.C. decision of 1954 did permit them to solicit trailer business in, say, New York for Chicago provided the trailer was piggybacked in between."

  7. 12
    To enter a secured area at the same time along with (someone having authorized access); to tailgate. transitive

    "Okay, when someone accesses a door with a card key, anyone additional who comes in with them is piggy-backing on their access, like someone riding piggy-back. Get it?"

Adjective
  1. 1
    On somebody's back or shoulders. not-comparable

    "give someone a piggyback ride"

  2. 2
    Pertaining to transportation of goods where one transportation unit is carried on the back of something else. For example, a truck on a train. not-comparable

    "A Montreal-Toronto "Piggyback" freight of the Canadian Pacific."

  3. 3
    Attached or appended to something larger or more important. not-comparable

    "piggyback legislation"

Adverb
  1. 1
    On somebody's back or shoulders. not-comparable

    "to ride piggyback"

Adverb
  1. 1
    on the back or shoulder or astraddle on the hip wordnet
  2. 2
    on a railroad flatcar wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
append dataassociatedattach dataattachedauxiliaryback ride

Antonyms

detach datadismountindependenceindependent

Example

"Tom gave Mary a piggyback ride."

Common questions

What does "piggyback" mean?

A ride on somebody's back or shoulders.

What is a synonym for "piggyback"?

Common synonyms include: append data, associated, attach data, attached, auxiliary, back ride.

How do you use "piggyback" in a sentence?

Tom gave Mary a piggyback ride.

Etymology

A corruption of pickaback, itself a corruption of pick-pack, like a pack.

More for "piggyback"

Synonyms

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