hitchhiking
hitchhiking — verb
1. to stand at the roadside and signal to passing drivers that you would like a fre
to stand at the roadside and signal to passing drivers that you would like a free lift to wherever they are heading
During her summer break, Marta hitchhiked from Madrid to Lisbon with a friend.
hitchhiked + from [city] + to [city] — route pattern
When his bicycle got a flat tyre, Dario decided to hitchhike to the nearest town.
hitchhike + to [destination] — goal pattern
Maeve hitchhiked through the Scottish Highlands last October and met many kind drivers.
After the last bus left without them, Tariro and Adina tried to hitchhike home.
Yasmin had never hitchhiked before, but she needed to reach the airport before midnight.
- thumb a lift
more informal, refers to the hand signal used
- hitch a ride
equally common, slightly more casual in tone
- ask for a lift
broader — can mean asking friends or acquaintances, not just strangers
文法句型
hitchhike + to [destination]
hitchhike + across/through [area]
hitchhike + from [place] + to [place]
用法筆記
Intransitive only — you cannot 'hitchhike someone'. The driver who stops gives you a lift; you are not the direct object of the verb.
常見錯誤
hitchhiking — noun
1. the practice of getting free transport by waiting at the edge of a road and aski
the practice of getting free transport by waiting at the edge of a road and asking drivers in vehicles that go past for a ride to wherever they are heading
Hitchhiking was a common way for young Europeans to explore the continent during the 1970s.
hitchhiking as an uncountable-noun subject
In many countries, hitchhiking is not allowed on expressways because of safety concerns.
Aunt Noor told us stories about hitchhiking when she was a university student in Ireland.
For adventurous travellers, hitchhiking offers a cheap way to reach remote places.
The documentary followed two backpackers who relied on hitchhiking to travel across India.
- autostop
dated or European term, rarely used in American English
- free-ride travel
descriptive phrase, not an established single-word synonym
文法句型
go + hitchhiking
hitchhiking + is/was
rely on + hitchhiking
用法筆記
Uncountable — you cannot say 'a hitchhiking' or 'hitchhikings'. The activity is typically referred to as 'hitchhiking' or with the phrase 'go hitchhiking'.