ride Hear it!

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ride definition

ride (rīd)

intransitive verb rode, ridden rid′·den, riding rid′·ing

    1. to sit on and be carried along by a horse or other animal, esp. one controlled by the rider
    2. to be carried along (in a vehicle, on a bicycle, etc.)
    3. to move along as if so carried
    4. to move along or be carried or supported in motion (on or upon) tanks ride on treads
  1. to be fit for riding or admit of being ridden a car that rides smoothly
    1. to move or float on the water
    2. Now Rare to lie at anchor the ships riding close to shore
  2. to seem to be floating in space
  3. to overlap, as bones in a joint
  4. to be dependent (on) the change rides on his approval
  5. to be placed as a bet (on)
  6. Informal to continue undisturbed, with no action taken let the matter ride

Etymology: ME riden < OE ridan, akin to Ger reiten < IE base *reidh-, to go, be in motion > L reda, four-wheel carriage

transitive verb

  1. to sit on or in and control so as to move along to ride a horse, a bicycle, etc.
    1. to move along on or be mounted, carried, or supported on to ride the waves, to ride a merry-go-round
    2. to rest on, as by overlapping
    3. to operate partially by keeping the foot on the pedal to ride the brake
  2. to move over, along, or through (a road, fence, area, etc.) by horse, car, etc.
  3. to cover (a specified distance) by riding
  4. to engage in or do by riding to ride a race
  5. to cause to ride; carry; convey
  6. to mount (a female) as for copulation
  7. to control, dominate, tyrannize over, or oppress: often in the past participle ridden by doubts
  8. Informal to torment, harass, or tease by making the butt of ridicule, criticism, etc.

noun

    1. a riding; esp., a journey by horse, car, bicycle, etc.
    2. a way or chance to ride
    3. the way a car, etc. rides
  1. a road, track, etc. for riding, esp. on horseback
  2. a roller coaster, Ferris wheel, or other thing to ride, as at an amusement park
ride Idioms

ride down

  1. to hit and knock down by riding against
  2. to overtake by riding
  3. to overcome
  4. to exhaust (a horse, etc.) by riding too long or too hard

ride out

  1. to stay afloat or aloft during (a storm, etc.) without too much damage
  2. to withstand or endure successfully

ride up

to move upward out of place, as an article of clothing

take for a ride

Slang
  1. to take somewhere, as in a car, and kill
  2. to cheat or swindle
Ride definition

Ride (rīd)

Ride, Sally K(risten) 1951- ; U.S. astronaut: 1st U.S. woman in space (1983)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
ride Synonyms

ride

n.

take for a ride*

ride

v.

  1. To be transported

    travel in, take, be carried, be conveyed, tour, journey, drive, motor, go for a ride, go for a spin, go for an airing, go by car, go by bicycle, bike*, cycle*, pedal*, go by motorcycle, go by train, go by bus; see also drive 3, travel 1.

  2. To control a beast of burden by riding

    go on horseback, manage, guide, mount, sit, sit well, have a good seat, post, direct, curb, restrain, urge on, handle, handle well, ride hard.

  3. To allow oneself to be dominated by circumstances

    drift, float, go with the current, go with the tide, move aimlessly, be without ambition, take the line of least resistance; see also drift.

  4. *To treat with unusual severity

    harass, persecute, domineer over, dominate, intimidate, tyrannize over, hound, hector, harry, badger, bait, tease, treat overbearingly, disparage, criticize, reproach, berate, upbraid, scold, afflict, annoy, pester, nag, deride, rag*, hassle*, razz*, roast*, needle*; see also bait 2, bother 2.

  5. To move as a carrier

    perform, perform well, ride well, ride evenly, remain stable, corner well, hold on the curves, give evidence of good design, show good engineering, hold the road, hug the road, keep an even keel, maintain balance, maintain equilibrium. See syn. study at bait.bait.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

ride Usage Examples

Object

  • motorbike: In his dissertation he questioned " why people ride motorbikes " .

Preposition: on

  • pavement: I don't ride on the pavements, jump red lights or cycle down the inside of traffic queues.

Adjective modifier

  • bumpy: The O Men characters are in for a bumpy ride!

Converse of object

  • hitch: Examine new purchases closely - sometimes Crassula or Azolla will hitch a ride on another plant.

Adjective complement

  • roughshod: Tesco must not be allowed to ride roughshod over a local democratic process in this way.

Noun used with modifier

  • rollercoaster: Welcome back to the wonderful rollercoaster ride that is the Retro Remakes news posts!

Modifies a noun

  • cymbal: The ride cymbal proper starts from 0:25, growing in intensity.
ride usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

ride quotes

As Ihavejust come frommaking my Easterconfessionon Good Fridayand have forgiven all those who trespass against me, I cannot harbour any thoughts of revenge, only contempt for an arrant shit who is bursting with pride, although he is simply being taken for a ride by his women.

-Joseph II

She's got a ticket to ride, but she don't care.

-Paul

Man is the hunter; woman is his game: The sleek and shining creatures of the chase, We hunt them for the beauty of their skins; They love us for it, and we ride them down.

-Tennyson

ride quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"ride." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/ride>

APA Style

ride. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/ride

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