piggyback

1 of 4

adverb

pig·​gy·​back ˈpi-gē-ˌbak 

variants or less commonly pickaback

ˈpi-gē- 

ˈpi-kə-

1

: up on the back and shoulders

2

: on or as if on the back of another

especially : on a railroad flatcar

piggyback

2 of 4

noun

variants or less commonly pickaback

1

: the act of carrying piggyback

2

: the movement of loaded truck trailers on railroad flatcars

piggyback

3 of 4

adjective

variants or less commonly pickaback

1

: marked by being up on the shoulders and back

a child needs hugging, tussling, and piggyback rides

—Benjamin Spock

2

: carried or transported piggyback: such as

a

: of or relating to the hauling of truck trailers on railroad flatcars

b

: being or relating to something carried into space as an extra load by a vehicle (such as a spacecraft)

piggyback

4 of 4

verb

variants or less commonly pickaback

piggybacked also pickabacked; piggybacking also pickabacking; piggybacks also pickabacks

transitive verb

1

: to carry up on the shoulders and back

2

: to haul (something, such as a truck trailer) by railroad car

3

: to set up or cause to function in conjunction with something larger, more important, or already in existence or operation

intransitive verb

: to function or be carried on or as if on the back of another

Did you know?

Piggyback was first used in the 16th century as an adverb, meaning "up on the back and shoulders" (as in "the child was carried piggyback"). It comes from a phrase of unknown origin, a pick pack. There is also the less-common adverb pickaback. The verb piggyback didn't piggyback on the adverb until the 19th century.

Examples of piggyback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

María was now nineteen kilos, a weight Lil still carried with relative ease, piggyback or fireman. —Cormac James, Harper's Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024

Question 10: Shall the public procurement piggyback authorization be modified from 18 months to up to three years old? —South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Trials in mice showed that this piggyback approach increased the ability of the immune system to recognize the toxin. —Lindsey Konkel, Discover Magazine, 25 Jan. 2010

Mark Hamill also celebrated his Star Wars costar's birthday on Sunday by re-posting their infamous piggyback picture. —Glenn Garner, PEOPLE.com, 10 Apr. 2022

Verb

Bad actors have attempted to piggyback off successful media outlets by republishing their work without permission for many years. —Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025

Two decades later, the U.S. government gave the Southern Pacific Railway a right-of-way to build its railroad straight through the Coachella Valley and Cahuilla territory, piggybacking off early stagecoach routes. —Michael Albertus, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

alteration of earlier a pick pack, of unknown origin

First Known Use

Adverb

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1895, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing piggyback

• piggyback ride

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Kids Definition

piggyback

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

pig·​gy·​back ˈpig-ē-ˌbak 

variants also pickaback

ˈpig-ē-ˌbak 

ˈpik-ə-

1

: on the back or shoulders

2

: on a railroad flatcar

piggyback

2 of 2 noun

: the act of carrying piggyback