ride

verb

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\ ˈrīd

rode\ ˈrōd

\ or chiefly dialectal rid\ ˈrid

\; ridden\ ˈri-dᵊn

\ or chiefly dialectal rid or rode; riding\ ˈrī-diŋ

Definition of ride

(Entry 1 of 3)

intransitive verb

1a : to sit and travel on the back of an animal that one directs

b : to travel in or on a conveyance

2 : to travel as if on a conveyance : be borne rode on a wave of popularity

3a : to lie moored or anchored a ship rides at anchor

b : sail

c : to move like a floating object the moon rode in the sky

4 : to become supported on a point or surface

5a : to travel over a surface the car rides well

b : to move on the body shorts that ride up

6 : to continue without interference let it ride

7a : to be contingent : depend plans on which the future rides

b : to become bet a lot of money riding on the favorite

transitive verb

1a : to travel on ride a bike ride the bus

b : to move with like a rider ride the waves

2a : to traverse by conveyance rode 500 miles

b : to ride a horse in ride a race

3 : survive, outlast —usually used with out rode out the gale

4 : to traverse on horseback to inspect or maintain ride fence

5 : to mount in copulation —used of a male animal

6a : obsess, oppress ridden by anxiety

b : to harass persistently : nag

c : tease, rib

7 : carry, convey

8 : to project over : overlap

9 : to give with (a punch) to soften the impact

10 : to keep in partial engagement by resting a foot continuously on the pedal ride the brakes

ride circuit

: to hold court in the various towns of a judicial circuit

ride for a fall

: to court disaster

ride herd on

: to keep a check on : supervise

ride high

: to experience success

ride shotgun

: to ride in the front passenger seat of a vehicle

ride

noun

plural rides

Definition of ride (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : an act of riding especially : a trip on horseback or by vehicle

2 : a way (such as a road or path) suitable for riding

3 : any of various mechanical devices (as at an amusement park) for riding on

4 : a trip on which gangsters take a victim to murder him Symphony shivered. He had heard in Pentonville what "going for a little ride" meant in American crook circles.— Gwyn Evans — see also take for a ride

5 : a means of transportation especially, informal : one's personal vehicle … buying himself a 1964 Buick Riviera and then posing with his new ride on the studio's backlot. — Andrew Liszewski

6 : the qualities of travel comfort in a vehicle

Ride

biographical name

\ ˈrīd

Definition of Ride (Entry 3 of 3)

Sally Kristen 1951–2012 American astronaut

Other Words from ride Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about ride

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Synonyms for ride

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

Examples of ride in a Sentence

Verb She learned how to ride a horse when she was young. Most children learn to ride a bicycle at an early age. He rides his motorcycle to work every day. I never rode on a horse before. She got on her bicycle and rode away. He decided to walk to the movies instead of riding the bus. She rides the subway home from school. They rode the elevator to the second floor. We rode through the park in a horse-drawn carriage. The dog rode in the back of the truck. Noun We went for a ride in the country. I had my first ride in a limousine. I need a ride to work. She caught a ride with her coworker. We went on a horseback ride. The kids had a ride on a horse. They offered pony rides at the fair. The Ferris wheel is my favorite ride. We went for a ride on the roller coaster.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Some of us are prone to ride out this reality with quiet acceptance, despite feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration. — Erika Hayasaki, Wired, "How to Remember a Disaster Without Being Shattered by It," 23 Feb. 2021 Another readiness step, therefore, involves preparing to ride out those situations. — David Pogue, Fortune, "It’s time to think about climate adaptation," 21 Feb. 2021 The devastating weather is shining a light on inequities in a state with large immigrant and homeless populations, many of whom are without the resources to safely ride out the storm. — Amir Vera, CNN, "This is what's being done to protect Texas' most vulnerable communities," 18 Feb. 2021 With hot food and water to help ride out the storm, Gallery Furniture encourages Houstonians to take extreme caution while navigating the roads to get to the showrooms. — Jay R. Jordan, Chron, "Gallery Furniture stores are now warming shelters," 16 Feb. 2021 The couple planned to head down to Florida after Christmas to ride out the long New England winter amid the palm trees. — Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, "Two patients, one week in the hospital, and a world of change," 23 Jan. 2021 The second performance was pushed to ride out what everyone assumed would be a short lockdown. — Nojan Aminosharei, Harper's BAZAAR, "No One Does It Like Patti Harrison," 31 Dec. 2020 That’s more than double the pace of new claims over the several weeks prior, though, and doesn’t account for thousands of claims that have restarted since Oregon began hunkering down to ride out the new wave of COVID-19 infections. — oregonlive, "Jobless claims surge in Oregon and nationally; some benefits lapse next week," 17 Dec. 2020 Without these actions, companies who needed to access debt in order to ride out the economic shutdown would have had nowhere else to turn, Buffett told CNBC. — NBC News, "In final meeting of Trump administration, Fed gets the last word on 2020," 16 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Yet these sorts of biases do not seem fully to explain the strangeness of pricey digital videos of cats or an unprompted rollercoaster ride for the stock of an old-economy retailer like GameStop. — The Economist, "Free exchange The prices of sports cards and odd collectibles are booming, too," 27 Feb. 2021 Seniors of Orange, Seminole and Osceola in need of transport to the center can qualify for a free LYNX bus ride. — Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, "Vaccination portal to reopen Monday in Orange County," 26 Feb. 2021 The ride/walk/run will begin at 7:30 a.m. from South County Regional Park’s Sunset Pavilion, 11200 Park Access Road. — Gary Curreri, sun-sentinel.com, "‘Pedal for People’ charity ride returns to Boca Raton," 26 Feb. 2021 Another handy feature on the Special will be adaptive ride height, which lowers the chassis by one to two inches when the motorcycle comes to a stop. — Peter Jackson, Robb Report, "Harley-Davidson’s First Adventure Bike, the Pan America 1250, Is Its Most Important Model in Decades," 26 Feb. 2021 Now, eight months away from free agency, Bryant heads into the Cubs’ spring training camp, prepared for a final ride. — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, "After false alert on trade, Cubs' Kris Bryant heads into contract year: 'I just show up and play'," 26 Feb. 2021 GameStop’s wild ride shocked Wall Street, forcing the market to gird for more volatility. — Alex Veiga, chicagotribune.com, "GameStop not stopping: Stock rising again, but why?," 25 Feb. 2021 GameStop's wild ride shocked Wall Street, forcing the market to gird for more volatility. — Alex Veiga, ajc, "GameStop shares double after tumbling for much of February," 25 Feb. 2021 Somewhere along the way, Milligan had decided to go with Torlano to the top — and the ride back down. — Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, "Daring skiers complete first descent of Half Dome to Yosemite Valley," 25 Feb. 2021

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