bicycling

Pluralbicyclings

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act or activity of riding a bicycle.

   Bicycling through the countryside cleared her mind after a long week.

   The city promotes bicycling as a cleaner alternative to driving.

   Similarcycling

   Note

   Usually a mass noun for the activity, but it also counts: in the plural it means separate outings. Grace Livingston Hill's Aunt Crete's Emancipation lists "the swings, and the rides, and the skatings, and bicyclings" among a girl's good times. Cycling is the common synonym and covers the same ground. Bicycling simply names the vehicle in full.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of bicycle.

   He is bicycling across the country to raise money for charity.

   We spent the whole morning bicycling through the old town.

   Note

   The -ing form does double duty. After a form of be it builds the progressive (she is bicycling to work), and without one it can head a noun phrase as a gerund. The verb behind it also had a transitive broadcasting use, now historical: bicycling a recorded program meant physically shipping it to another station. Once the word names the pastime and can take a plural, it has become the noun for the activity.

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