hitch

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /hɪt͡ʃ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like hiss /tʃ/ vs /s/

Freq #9437

Meanings

1

noun
A small problem or delay that interrupts progress.

The wedding went off without a hitch.
2

verb
To fasten or tie something to another thing.

He hitched the trailer to the back of his car.
3

verb
To get a free ride by signaling to passing drivers.

They hitched a ride to the next town.
4

verb
To pull something up with a quick, sharp movement.

She hitched up her skirt to climb the fence.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a small problem or delay... catch

2 verb · to fasten or tie something... attach fasten bind

Word family

Forms hitchedhitcheshitching

Derived forms hitcherhitchhikehitchhikerhitchinghitching-barhitchmentskitchunhitchunhitched

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

rolling hitch
a knot used to attach a rope to a pole or another rope

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Hitch your wagon to a star

Simplified etymology

Hitch is recorded from Middle English with the sense “to move or lift with a jerk.” The meaning “to fasten or tether” appeared in the early 17th century, while the noun meaning “obstacle” probably developed from the use of hitch for a knot in a rope.

Etymology

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.

hicchen Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# hitch

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /hɪt͡ʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 9437

## Meanings
1. A small problem or delay that interrupts progress.
2. To fasten or tie something to another thing.
3. To get a free ride by signaling to passing drivers.
4. To pull something up with a quick, sharp movement.

## Examples
- The wedding went off without a hitch.
- He hitched the trailer to the back of his car.
- They hitched a ride to the next town.
- She hitched up her skirt to climb the fence.

## Derived Forms
- hitcher
- hitchhike
- hitchhiker
- hitching
- hitching-bar
- hitchment
- skitch
- unhitch
- unhitched

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hicchen

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Hitch is 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. Important recorded forms include hicchen (Middle English). Current senses include a small problem or delay that interrupts progress and to fasten or tie something to another thing. The wider family includes derived forms such as hitcher, hitchhike, hitchhiker, hitching, and hitching-bar.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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