electric bike

noun

variants or e-bike

ˈē-ˌbīk 

or electric bicycle

plural electric bikes or e-bikes or electric bicycles

: a bicycle equipped with an electric motor that may be activated in order to assist with or replace pedaling

Just like any bike, electric bikes come with a ton of different technical specs that you may or may not care about.

—Adrienne So

For many years, e-bikes carried the stigma of being vehicles for lazy pedalers and seniors. The bikes draw power from a battery and motor to make pedaling significantly easier. You can also accelerate with the press of a button, transforming cycling from a strenuous exercise into a joy ride.

—Brian X. Chen

Examples of electric bike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The release also distinguishes between an electric bikes, which have three classes, and an electric motorcycle, saying that the determination comes down to motor strength and speed. —Mason Leib, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026

The team demonstrated the process with a reactor the size of a water bottle that powered an electric bike for several hours. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 22 Apr. 2026

Aaron Powell, founder of Bunch Bikes, an electric bike manufacturer, said the company's profit margin dropped and sales shrank even after raising the cost of an e-bike from $5,799 to $6,599. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026

The two men gleefully ride electric bikes into the distance as the episode ends, friendship in the winter air. —Erin Qualey, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for electric bike

• statesmanlike
• unladylike
• alike
• belike
• birdlike
• catlike
• childlike
• christlike
• deathlike
• dislike
• dreamlike
• friedreich