hiking

hiking — noun

1. the activity of walking long distances along paths through hills, mountains, for

1.nounB1
Definition

the activity of walking long distances along paths through hills, mountains, forests, or open country, usually for fun, fitness, or to enjoy the views.

Example

Lisa goes hiking with her dog every Sunday morning along the cliffs near the lighthouse.

go hiking (set phrase)

Stephanie packed sunscreen, two bottles of water, and a sandwich for the day of hiking ahead.

a day of hiking

Common collocations
  • go hiking
  • hiking boots
  • hiking trail
  • hiking trip
  • hiking route
  • hiking pole
Synonyms
  • trekking

    longer and tougher, often over several days and difficult terrain

  • rambling

    British, often informal; suggests gentle countryside walking with friends

  • backpacking

    involves carrying camping gear and sleeping outdoors overnight

Grammar Patterns

go hiking

hiking + boots / trail / trip / route

Usage Note

Uncountable: never 'a hiking' or 'hikings'. Frequently appears as a modifier of other nouns: 'hiking boots', 'hiking trail', 'hiking trip', 'hiking pole'. The verb pattern 'go hiking' (no article) is the most common way to talk about doing the activity.

Common Mistakes

I will go to hiking this weekend.
I will go hiking this weekend.
after 'go', use the bare '-ing' form, not 'to hiking'.
We did a hiking in the mountains.
We went hiking in the mountains.' or 'We did some hiking in the mountains.
'hiking' is uncountable, so no 'a'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four involve moving on foot, but the picture each one paints is different. 'Walking' is the everyday, neutral word — to the shop, around the park, or just for exercise — and says nothing about distance or terrain. 'Hiking' is longer and rougher: hills, forests, marked trails, sturdy shoes, and at least a few hours. 'Trekking' is tougher still and often takes several days, like Mira's two-week trek in the Himalayas, and usually involves a guide or porters. 'Rambling' is a softer British word, often used by walking clubs for gentle countryside outings with friends, where the talk and the tea afterwards matter as much as the route. So choose by how hard, how long, and how rural the activity is.

hiking ↗trekkingramblingwalking ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • hiking boots
  • hiking trail
  • hiking route
  • hiking trip
  • hiking pole
  • hiking gear

Adverbs

  • regularly hiking
  • occasionally hiking

Phrases

  • go hiking
  • a hiking holiday
  • a day of hiking
  • love hiking

Prepositions

  • hiking through
  • hiking in
  • hiking along
  • hiking up

Etymology

English (dialect origin uncertain)Modern English

'Hiking' is the gerund of the verb 'hike', which appeared in English in the early 1800s as a regional word meaning 'to walk vigorously'. The origin is unclear — it may come from a dialect form of 'hitch' or be related to older words for moving or jerking along. From the late 1800s, 'hiking' came to mean specifically the leisure activity of long countryside walks, and the word boomed in the 1920s and 30s with the growth of youth-walking clubs and national-park culture. A separate sense of 'hike' as a sharp price increase is unrelated to walking, even though it shares the spelling.