rid

verb

ˈrid How to pronounce rid (audio)
Definition of ridnext
as in to relieve
to set (a person or thing) free of something that encumbers worked two jobs to rid himself of debt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rid
  1. relieve
  2. free
  3. clear
Verb
  • New York City is counting on office-to-apartment conversions to help relieve its housing shortage.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
  • Investors were also relieved that fiscal risks may be less severe than previously feared, after government revenue surprised on the upside, with tax collections recovering strongly during the first half, Camelia noted.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 28 July 2026
Definition of relieve
Verb
  • Better yet, the chairs tuck neatly beneath the table when playtime is over, freeing up valuable floor space when a blanket fort is suddenly requested.
    — Vy Yang, Architectural Digest, 31 July 2026
  • The aim of integrating AI into businesses is to boost productivity and free up resources for higher-order strategic thinking.
    — Ipsita Mohanty, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of free
Verb
  • Most dogs clear it, through their own immune response or a short course of a common chemotherapy drug.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • The combination of these two groups feeding on a single stem of common milkweed cleared all the leaves and seed pods within three days.
    — Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
Definition of clear
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

rictuses
rid
riddance
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rid. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rid

Nglish: Translation of rid for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All