hitch up
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To quickly pull up a piece of clothing, or to attach something like a trailer to a car or a horse to a cart.
Literal meaning: To hitch (fasten or pull) something upward.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To pull up a piece of clothing with a quick, small movement to adjust it.
"He hitched up his trousers and marched confidently into the meeting room."
Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral
To attach a trailer, caravan, or animal-drawn vehicle to a car or other towing vehicle.
"They hitched up the caravan and set off on their camping holiday at dawn."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Has two distinct and common uses: (1) adjusting clothing (hitching up trousers/skirt) — a quick, neat tug upward; (2) attaching a trailer, wagon, or horse to a vehicle. Both are everyday uses in British and American English.
Commonly used with
trousers skirt trailer caravan horse wagon belt
Forms
Base
hitch up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hitches up
he/she/it
Past simple
hitched up
yesterday
Past participle
hitched up
have + pp
-ing form
hitching up
continuous
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