cyclist

cyclist — noun

1. a person who travels by bicycle for fun, fitness, commuting, sport, or as their

1.nounB1
Definition

a person who travels by bicycle for fun, fitness, commuting, sport, or as their main way of getting around

Example

The cyclist Aiko sped down the hill with both hands on the brakes.

cyclist + motion verb + location phrase

A red light on the cyclist's jacket helped drivers see her at night.

possessive: cyclist's [clothing]

Common collocations
  • keen cyclist
  • professional cyclist
  • serious cyclist
  • regular cyclist
  • amateur cyclist
  • cyclist's helmet
  • cyclist's route
Synonyms
  • biker

    more informal; also used for motorcycle riders, so context matters

  • rider

    broader term; could refer to any vehicle or animal — use 'bicycle rider' for clarity

  • pedestrian

    antonym — a person who walks, not rides

Antonyms
  • motorist

    a person who drives a car, the typical opposite road user

Grammar Patterns

cyclist + verb

Usage Note

Countable noun. Often used with an adjective such as keen, serious, professional, or regular to describe the type of rider.

Common Mistakes

The cyclist is very fast. He won the race.' (wrong referent if cyclist is female)
The cyclist Ana is very fast. She won the race.
use a name or role noun to make the gender clear when using a pronoun later.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cyclist is the standard, neutral term for anyone on a bicycle — whether commuting, racing, or riding for fun. Biker overlaps in casual use ('bike lane', 'biker gang') but can also mean a motorcycle rider, which creates ambiguity. Rider is the broadest of the three: it works for horses, motorcycles, bicycles, or even skateboards. If you need total clarity, say 'bicycle rider' or 'cyclist'. Pedestrian is the opposite road user — someone on foot. Example: 'The cyclist rang her bell to warn the pedestrian she was passing.'

bikerrider ↗cyclist ↗pedestrian ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cyclist safety
  • cyclist lane
  • cyclist helmet
  • cyclist group

Prepositions

  • for a cyclist
  • as a cyclist

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Cyclist comes from the word cycle (from Latin cyclus and Greek kyklos, meaning 'circle' or 'wheel') plus the suffix -ist, which means 'a person who does or is involved with something.' So a cyclist is literally 'a person involved with wheels.' The word appeared in English around the 1880s, when bicycles became popular.