ride

verb

\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

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

4a : 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

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

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

Synonyms: Noun

lift, transportation

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

The astronauts would ride NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, but the universal airlock would work with commercial and international spacecraft. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Maybe NASA's Next Space Station Doesn't Need the Astronauts," 6 Sep. 2018 White officers would not ride in police cruisers with African-American officers until 1965, and official policy providing equal opportunities to every officer regardless of race or gender was not established until 1973, Childress wrote. — Emma Austin, The Courier-Journal, "'Trailblazer': First black policewoman may finally get her gravestone," 22 June 2018 Fortune was among those who rode in Phantom Auto’s Lincoln MKZ has a remote operator back in Mountain View, Calif. safely steered the vehicle on city streets. — Kirsten Korosec, Fortune, "Why Self-Driving Car Companies Are Eyeing This Remote Driving Startup," 12 June 2018 As rookies who often ride the shuttle between the minors and majors, Rodriguez and Suarez weren’t counting on getting the opportunity to make hometown starts, let alone in consecutive games. — Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Giants' South Florida pitching duo Andrew Suarez, Dereck Rodriguez to face Marlins," 12 June 2018 In her younger years, the Queen would ride side-saddle on horseback to greet the public. — Laura Smith-spark, CNN, "Duke and Duchess of Sussex join Queen's birthday parade," 9 June 2018 Early in her role as principal of St. John Fisher Elementary School, Sister Jean McGrath was tasked with deciding who should ride on a float in the South Side Irish Parade. — Donna Vickroy, Daily Southtown, "The 'other Sister Jean' says goodbye to St. John Fisher School after 32 years," 8 June 2018 While scooter rides might be a bit peripheral to ride-sharing, customer-acquisition cost is not. — Sunil Paul, Recode, "The Scooter Wars will be a bloodbath — and Uber will win," 12 July 2018 All the people who ride in support, or memory, of someone else. — Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Patient takes the fight to cancer with Scenic Shore team raising hundreds of thousands of dollars," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Natalia Vodianova took her tots for an invigorating countryside ride, her blonde wisps peeking out from beneath a roseate headscarf, while elsewhere, Fernanda Ly kept her pale pink hair sleek with an assemblage of bobby pins and a cool burgundy lip. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "The Best Beauty Instagrams of the Week: Kylie Jenner Has a Marilyn Moment (and More!)," 2 Dec. 2018 Help others while crushing your fitness goals with these pay-it-forward opportunities: About: Download this free app that transforms your runs, hikes, bike rides, and even dance parties into fundraising endeavors. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "10 Ways to Use Your Love of Fitness to Do Good on Giving Tuesday or Any Day," 27 Nov. 2018 Taking to Instagram during a car ride (as one does), Ariana snapped a quick clip of herself grooving along to a song. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Ariana Grande Went Platinum Blonde," 8 Nov. 2018 Priyanka Chopra had the ultimate bachelorette party this weekend in Amsterdam, complete with delicious food, canal boat rides, and lots of champagne. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Priyanka Chopra and Sophie Turner Are Literally Wearing Their Post-Bachelorette Party Hangovers," 5 Nov. 2018 There will be dodgems and funfair rides, coconut shies, lots of food stalls, loads of cocktails, bloody Marys for the hangovers and a festival vibe. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's Royal Wedding Party Got Wild With an Impromptu Celebrity Performance," 13 Oct. 2018 Residents of Silver Spring, Maryland, and other inner suburbs would gain an express ride to downtown and northern Virginia job centers, reducing crowding on the DC Metro’s currently overtaxed Red Line. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "HQ2 is a perfect opportunity to massively upgrade the DC area’s commuter rail," 17 Nov. 2018 But the Edmonds route requires a bus or car ride to Seattle, and the Bainbridge route requires driving to the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal, both of which can take an additional 45 minutes. — David Gutman, The Seattle Times, "Kitsap Transit launching Kingston-to-Seattle fast ferry service after Thanksgiving," 7 Nov. 2018 Lime is offering a free 30-minute ride to your polling location with the code LIME2VOTE18. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Everything you need to know to get out and vote," 5 Nov. 2018

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.