ride

play

verb \ ˈrīd \

Definition of ride

rode play \ˈrōd\ or chiefly dialectal rid play \ˈrid\; ridden play \ˈri-dᵊn\ or chiefly dialectal rid or rode; riding play \ˈrī-diŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a :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

3 a :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

5 a :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

7 a :to be contingent :depend

plans on which the future rides

b :to become bet

a lot of money riding on the favorite

transitive verb

1 a :to travel on

ride a bike

ride the bus

b :to move with like a rider

ride the waves

2 a :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

6 a :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

—

rideable

or less commonly ridable play \ˈrī-də-bəl\ adjective

— 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

See ride defined for English-language learners

See ride defined for kids

Examples of ride in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of ride from the Web

Under Beale's plan, all ride-share drivers would have to be fingerprinted and photographed when applying for a city license that allows them to work for companies like Uber and Lyft.

— hal dardick, chicagotribune.com, "Beale urges ride-sharing driver fingerprinting, surge pricing limits," 30 Aug. 2017
Mandel, a Republican, rode a national wave of anti-Democratic sentiment to re-election that fall as Ohio treasurer.

— chrissie thompson, Cincinnati.com, "The constant re-imagining of Josh Mandel," 27 Aug. 2017
Now that Obamacare has sneaked past its own death panel, the president’s hopes for notching a major legislative win before 2018 all ride on tax reform.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The Republican Budget Fight, Explained in 5 Minutes," 24 Aug. 2017
Your superpower is the capacity to trust in your loony inner life, crabcakes, and this eclipse offers you a radical opportunity to really ride your own emotional waves.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Total Solar Eclipse Horoscope," 19 Aug. 2017
Opportunities to ride horses and pan for gold offer imaginative participants the chance to travel back in time. Inflatable bounce houses and mini-golf,

— ginger brashinger, Daily Southtown, "Mokena celebrates life on the farm, in the barn," 16 Aug. 2017
The two decided to ride a few of the attractions before dinner, where Jarret had planned to propose.

— carrie goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Exclusive: Erin Andrews and Jarret Stoll's Mountain-Top Wedding in Montana," 16 Aug. 2017
In the real world, this issue is one of the reasons humans ride horses and donkeys but not, say, cattle.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "'Game of Thrones' Science: Could a Person Ride a Dragon?," 15 Aug. 2017
Bryan and Rachel ride some horses, tour a winery, and talk about Bryan’s experience meeting Rachel’s family.

— alex rees, Cosmopolitan, "Bachelorette Finale Recap: There's a Big Proposal, So Why Isn't This Finale Joyous?!," 9 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of ride

Middle English, from Old English rīdan; akin to Old High German rītan to ride, Middle Irish réidid he rides

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

ride Synonyms

Synonyms

bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, tease, taunt

Antonyms

settle, sink

Related Words

deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, mock, ridicule; annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, hack (off), hagride, irk, irritate, itch, nag, nark [British], nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, trouble, vex; aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try; aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb; badger, dog, hound; browbeat, bully, hector; harass, harry, persecute, plague, terrorize, torment, torture

Near Antonyms

dive, lunge, plunge; dip, immerse, submerge, submerse

ride

noun

Definition of ride

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 :a trip on which gangsters take a victim to murder him

b :something likened to such a trip

take the taxpayers 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

See ride defined for English-language learners

Examples of ride in a Sentence

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 of ride from the Web

The final touch will be foam coating to insulate the adapter for its ride into space.

— william thornton, AL.com, "Anniston attempting to lure battery technology research facility," 30 Aug. 2017
Jones had been president of Uber until walking out in March amid turmoil at the ride sharing service company.

— mark davis, kansascity, "H&R Block sets new CEO Jeff Jones’ salary and bonus," 23 Aug. 2017
The Audi Q7 is surprisingly nimble for its size, confident in curves and turns, with a smooth ride and quiet cabin.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "Redesign of Audi Q7 for 2017 raises the bar for this 7-passenger crossover," 18 Aug. 2017
Under the union’s proposal, hotels can offer a monthly transit pass or equivalent credits for ride-sharing or vanpools.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "This proposal would help Miami Beach hotel employees. It could help with parking, too," 16 Aug. 2017
Victoria has been warned that these rides can be dangerous.

— monica hesse, chicagotribune.com, "'It's fun to be scared': Life and mortality at the carnival," 15 Aug. 2017
Huck shared a photo of Kardashian and Bendjima in the water together, as well as snaps of a group camel ride, and the trip to the Sphinx.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kourtney Kardashian and Boyfriend Younes Bendjima Vacation in Egypt," 9 Aug. 2017
Teachers get free rides on South Shore To show appreciation for teachers, the South Shore Line is welcoming local educators to ride the train for free from Monday through Aug. 13 on off-peak weekday and all weekend trains.

— Post-Tribune, "Community calendar," 5 Aug. 2017
Stockwell remembers standing on the sidewalk as a few students waited for their rides after the dance and turning to look at Pollio.

— allison ross, The Courier-Journal, "On the job for only a month, acting JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio is making changes," 3 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of ride

1708

ride Synonyms

Synonyms

lift, transportation

Related Words

drive, spin, turn; joyride; conveyance, passage, transit, transport

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

Ride

play

biographical name \ ˈrīd \

Definition of Ride

Sally Kristen 1951–2012 American astronaut

RIDE Defined for English Language Learners

ride

play

verb

Definition of ride for English Language Learners

: to sit on and control the movements of (a horse, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.)
: to travel to a place as a passenger on or in (something that is moving, such as a bus, a train, or an elevator) ( chiefly US )
: to go on a mechanical ride at an amusement park or similar place

ride

noun

Definition of ride for English Language Learners

: a usually short journey in or on a vehicle
: a usually short journey on a horse or other animal
: a large machine at an amusement park, fair, etc., that people ride on for enjoyment

RIDE Defined for Kids

ride

play

verb \ ˈrīd \

Definition of ride for Students

rode \ˈrōd\; ridden \ˈri-dᵊn\; riding \ˈrī-diŋ\

1 :to travel or move by sitting or standing on or in

I ride the bus.

2 :to sit on and control so as to be carried along

I learned to ride a bicycle.

3 :to be supported or carried on

Surfers rode the waves.

4 :to travel over a surface

The car rides well.

5 :to endure without great harm or damage

We'll ride out the storm.

6 :depend 2

Our hopes are riding on you.

—

rider

\ˈrī-dər\ noun

ride

noun

Definition of ride for Students

1 :a trip on horseback or by vehicle

2 :a mechanical device (as a merry-go-round) that moves around while people sit or stand on it for entertainment

3 :a way of getting from one place to another

She needs a ride to school.

Learn More about ride

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ride Spanish Central: Translation of ride Nglish: Translation of ride for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ride for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up ride? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

ride

Definition of ride

rideable

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of ride in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ride from the Web

Origin and Etymology of ride

ride Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

ride

Definition of ride

Examples of ride in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ride from the Web

First Known Use of ride

ride Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

Ride

Definition of Ride

RIDE Defined for English Language Learners

ride

Definition of ride for English Language Learners

ride

Definition of ride for English Language Learners

RIDE Defined for Kids

ride

Definition of ride for Students

rider

ride

Definition of ride for Students

Learn More about ride

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Let's Talk 'Tea'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Trending: Ivanka: "An 'Otherwise' Incredible Day"

Words of the Year: 1066