take for a ride

idiomatic phrase

1

informal : to cheat or trick (someone)

You can get sucked into a scheme that will cost you dearly. … You can get suckered, swindled, taken for a ride …

—Christianity

"So much for good-looking, slick-talking hometown boys," says Betty Bean. "They always end up taking you for a ride."

—Jennet Conant

2

informal : to murder (someone)

There had been previous killings, but Brent was the first to be taken for a ride in true gangster style. Police said his shooting had the earmarks of a professional job.

—Ian Macdonald and Betty O'Keefe

Among the secret letters sent to The Mirror was a death threat … . It warns "we will be waiting for you when you get out" and says Brady will be "taken for a little ride to the moors".

—Sydney Young

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for take for a ride

• acetaldehyde
• acetanilide
• arabinoside
• cycloheximide
• cyclophosphamide
• diethylamide
• dinucleotide
• ferricyanide
• ferrocyanide
• glutaraldehyde
• glyceraldehyde
• hydroperoxide