rid

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verb \ ˈrid \

Definition of rid

rid also ridded; ridding

transitive verb

1 archaic :save, rescue

2 :to make free :relieve, disencumber

rid the complexion of blemishes

be rid of worries

get rid of that junk

See rid defined for English-language learners

See rid defined for kids

Examples of rid in a Sentence

worked two jobs to rid himself of debt

Recent Examples of rid from the Web

For more tips for humans and animals riding out this heat wave, visit the city’s heat emergency website or find additional resources for residents throughout Los Angeles County.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "Animals Need Relief in This Crazy Heat, and These Cooling Centers Are Here to Help," 30 Aug. 2017
A woman tried to kidnap a 7-year-old boy who was riding a Metrobus to school with his with his older sister Wednesday morning, authorities said.

— faiz siddiqui, Washington Post, "Metro Transit Police say woman tried to kidnap a 7-year-old while he rode the bus to school," 30 Aug. 2017
Eerily, however, several of the predictions made by the bot for the next book mirror popular fan theories about what will happen to favorite characters, such as whether one will end up riding a dragon or another may get poisoned by a close adviser.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "A Neural Network Attempted to Write the Next Game of Thrones Book," 30 Aug. 2017
Jack's restaurants across the southeast also hosted a number of events including car washes, spirit nights and motorcycle bike rides to collect pantry items and school supplies.

— william thornton, AL.com, "Jack's raises more than $157,000 for Kids to Love Foundation," 29 Aug. 2017
The Rattlers went 1-10, with Stanley riding the bench the whole way.

— ethan bauer, miamiherald, "FAMU dreams of a return to its former glory in 2017," 29 Aug. 2017
Each year, Americans spend an average of three billion hours pushing or (even worse) riding mowers, most of which pollute at a rate ten times that of our cars.

— pam mandel, Longreads, "The Lawn is a Lie," 25 Aug. 2017
But, dangerous blowhard or not, Lloyd and Co. have apparently realized having Trump in the White House presents an opportunity that is too lucrative to ignore: the chance to get rid of the Volcker Rule.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Lloyd Blankfein May Have a Use for Trump, After All," 23 Aug. 2017
The nine-year-old spied the garden while riding his bike last year.

— patsy miller, star-telegram, "A purposeful garden," 23 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rid

Middle English ridden to clear, probably from Old English *ryddan; akin to Old High German riutan to clear land, Old Norse rythja

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

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rid Synonyms

Synonyms

clear, disburden, disencumber, divest, free, relieve, unburden

Antonyms

burden, encumber, saddle

Related Words

discharge, emancipate, enfranchise, liberate, loose, loosen, manumit, release, spring, unbind, uncage, unchain, unfetter; bail (out), deliver, redeem, rescue; disengage, disentangle, extricate

Near Antonyms

bog (down), fetter, hamper, restrain, shackle, subject, weigh down, weight (down)

RID Defined for Kids

rid

play

verb \ ˈrid \

Definition of rid for Students

rid also ridded; ridding

:to free from something :relieve

A shampoo rid the dog of fleas.

Learn More about rid

See words that rhyme with rid Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rid Spanish Central: Translation of rid Nglish: Translation of rid for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rid for Arabic speakers

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rid

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RID Defined for Kids

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