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."
separable
hitch up
B2 neutral separable transitive
To pull clothing up with a quick movement; or to attach a trailer, caravan, or animal to a vehicle.
In plain English
To quickly pull up a piece of clothing, or to attach something like a trailer to a car or a horse to a cart.
What does "hitch up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To hitch (fasten or pull) something upward.
Actually means
To quickly pull up a piece of clothing, or to attach something like a trailer to a car or a horse to a cart.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "hitch up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
trousers skirt trailer caravan horse wagon belt
How to conjugate "hitch up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "hitch up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "hitch up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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