Meaning & use
a push bike
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableinformalBritish
A bicycle, especially one that you move by pushing the pedals, not by motor.
Grammar: Used with 'a' or plural 'push bikes'. Often contrasted with 'motorbike'.
Patterns
- ride a push bike
- on a push bike
He goes to school on a push bike every day.
I bought a second-hand push bike for cycling around town.
She prefers a push bike to a motorbike because it keeps her fit.
Word forms
| plural | push bikes |
|---|
Common combinations
- ride a push bike
- Can you ride a push bike yet?
- on a push bike
- He arrived on a push bike, covered in mud.
- a push bike lane
- The city has added more push bike lanes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bicycle
- Bicycle is the standard word, used in formal and written English. Push bike is informal and mostly British.
- bike
- Bike is a general informal word that can mean bicycle or motorbike. Push bike makes it clear you mean the pedal kind.
- cycle
- Cycle is a formal or British word for bicycle. It is also a verb. Push bike is only a noun.
Word family
- push verb
- To press something to move it away from you.
Commonly confused: a push bike or motorbike?
a push bike vs motorbike
A motorbike has an engine; a push bike does not. In informal British English, 'bike' alone can mean either, so 'push bike' is used to be clear.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'push bike' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Push bike' is a noun, so it is used with a verb like 'ride' (option 0). Option 1 is wrong because 'push bike' is not a verb. Option 2 is wrong because 'push biking' is not a standard activity. Option 3 is wrong because 'push bike' cannot be used as a verb meaning 'to push a car'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a push bike”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.