ride, v. i. [AS. rīdan; akin to LG. riden, D. rijden, G. reiten, OHG. rītan, Icel. rī, Sw. rida, Dan. ride; cf. L. raeda a carriage, which is from a Celtic word. Cf. Road.].

To be carried on the back of an animal, as a horse. [1913 Webster]
"To-morrow, when ye riden by the way." [1913 Webster]

"Let your master ride on before, and do you gallop after him." [1913 Webster]

To be borne in a carriage; as, to ride in a coach, in a car, and the like. See Synonym, below. [1913 Webster]
"The richest inhabitants exhibited their wealth, not by riding in gilden carriages, but by walking the streets with trains of servants." [1913 Webster]

To be borne or in a fluid; to float; to lie. [1913 Webster]
"Men once walked where ships at anchor ride." [1913 Webster]

To be supported in motion; to rest. [1913 Webster]
"Strong as the exletree
On which heaven rides." [1913 Webster]

"On whose foolish honesty
My practices ride easy!" [1913 Webster]

To manage a horse, as an equestrian. [1913 Webster]
"He rode, he fenced, he moved with graceful ease." [1913 Webster]

To support a rider, as a horse; to move under the saddle; as, a horse rides easy or hard, slow or fast. [1913 Webster]
"“Will you ride over or drive?” said Lord Willowby to his quest, after breakfast that morning." [1913 Webster]

To ride easy (Naut.), to lie at anchor without violent pitching or straining at the cables. -- To ride hard (Naut.), to pitch violently. -- To ride out. (a) To go upon a military expedition. [Obs.] Chaucer. (b) To ride in the open air. [Colloq.] -- To ride to hounds, to ride behind, and near to, the hounds in hunting.

Syn. -- Drive.

ride, v. t.

To sit on, so as to be carried; as, to ride a horse; to ride a bicycle. [1913 Webster]
"[They] rend up both rocks and hills, and ride the air
In whirlwind." [1913 Webster]

To manage insolently at will; to domineer over. [1913 Webster]
"The nobility could no longer endure to be ridden by bakers, cobblers, and brewers." [1913 Webster]

To convey, as by riding; to make or do by riding. [1913 Webster]
"Tue only men that safe can ride
Mine errands on the Scottish side." [1913 Webster]

To overlap (each other); -- said of bones or fractured fragments. [1913 Webster]

To ride a hobby, to have some favorite occupation or subject of talk. -- To ride and tie, to take turn with another in labor and rest; -- from the expedient adopted by two persons with one horse, one of whom rides the animal a certain distance, and then ties him for the use of the other, who is coming up on foot. Fielding. -- To ride down. (a) To ride over; to trample down in riding; to overthrow by riding against; as, to ride down an enemy. (b) (Naut.) To bear down, as on a halyard when hoisting a sail. -- To ride out (Naut.), to keep safe afloat during (a storm) while riding at anchor or when hove to on the open sea; as, to ride out the gale.

ride, n.

The act of riding; an excursion on horseback or in a vehicle. [1913 Webster]

A saddle horse. Wright. [1913 Webster]

A road or avenue cut in a wood, or through grounds, to be used as a place for riding; a riding. [1913 Webster]

top

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ride, v. & n.
--v. (past rode; past part. ridden)
1 tr. travel or be carried on (a bicycle etc.) or esp. US in (a vehicle).
2 intr. (often foll. by on, in) travel or be conveyed (on a bicycle or in a vehicle).
3 tr. sit on and control or be carried by (a horse etc.).
4 intr. (often foll. by on) be carried (on a horse etc.).
5 tr. be carried or supported by (the ship rides the waves).
6 tr. a traverse on horseback etc., ride over or through (ride 50 miles; rode the prairie). b compete or take part in on horseback etc. (rode a good race).
7 intr. a lie at anchor; float buoyantly. b (of the moon) seem to float.
8 intr. (foll. by in, on) rest in or on while moving.
9 tr. yield to (a blow) so as to reduce its impact.
10 tr. give a ride to; cause to ride (rode the child on his back).
11 tr. (of a rider) cause (a horse etc.) to move forward (rode their horses at the fence).
12 tr. a (in passive; foll. by by, with) be oppressed or dominated by; be infested with (was ridden with guilt). b (as ridden adj.) infested or afflicted (usu. in comb.: a rat-ridden cellar).
13 intr. (of a thing normally level or even) project or overlap.
14 tr. mount (a female) in copulation.
15 tr. US annoy or seek to annoy.
--n.
1 an act or period of travel in a vehicle.
2 a spell of riding on a horse, bicycle, person's back, etc.
3 a path (esp. through woods) for riding on.
4 the quality of sensations when riding (gives a bumpy ride).

Idiom

let a thing ride leave it alone; let it take its natural course. ride again reappear, esp. unexpectedly and reinvigorated. ride down overtake or trample on horseback. ride for a fall act recklessly risking defeat or failure. ride herd on see HERD. ride high be elated or successful. ride out come safely through (a storm etc., or a danger or difficulty). ride roughshod over see ROUGHSHOD. ride to hounds see HOUND. ride up (of a garment, carpet, etc.) work or move out of its proper position. take for a ride colloq. hoax or deceive.

Derivative

ridable adj.

Etymology

OE ridan

top

THESAURUS

ride
Sunday drive, abut on, aggravate, airing, annoy, auto, badger, bait, bamboozle, banter, be at, be based on, bear on, bedevil, beset, bestraddle, bestride, bicycle, bike, bother, bristle, brown off, bug, bully, bullyrag, bump off, burn up, bus, catch a train, chaff, chauffeur, cheat, chivy, cycle, deceive, defraud, delude, deride, devil, discompose, distemper, disturb, dog, dominate, drift, drive, entrain, exasperate, excursion, exercise, expedition, fash, float, foot, get, ghost, glide, go by rail, grin at, gripe, gull, harass, harry, hassle, haze, heckle, hector, hold in derision, hound, humbug, imbricate, intimidate, irk, irritate, jape, jaunt, jest, jive, joke, jolly, josh, journey, joyride, kid, lap, laugh at, laugh to scorn, lean on, lie, lie athwart, lie on, lift, make a train, make fun of, make game of, make heavy weather, make merry with, miff, molest, motor, motorcycle, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, oppress, outing, outride, overlie, override, pan, pedal, peeve, perch, persecute, pester, pick on, pickup, pillory, pique, plague, plow the deep, pluck the beard, point at, poke fun at, pother, provoke, put on, put one on, rag, rally, razz, rely on, repose on, rest, rest on, rib, ride at anchor, ride easy, ride hawse full, ride out, ride the sea, ridicule, rile, roast, roil, ruffle, run, sail, scud, shingle, shoot, sit in, sit on, skim, slip, smile at, snicker at, snigger at, spin, stand on, straddle, stride, swindle, take, take a joyride, take in, taxi, tease, terrorize, torment, torture, tour, trick, trip, try the patience, turn, tweak the nose, twit, tyrannize, vex, walk the waters, wash, weather, weather the storm, wheel, whirl, worry

top

ROGET THESAURUS

ride

Height
VB be high, tower, soar, command, hover, hover over, fly over, orbit, be in orbit, cap, culminate, overhang, hang over, impend, beetle, bestride, ride, mount, perch, surmount, cover, overtop, stand on tiptoe, become high, grow higher, grow taller, upgrow, rise, send into orbit, render high, heighten.

Journey
N journey, travel, traveling, wayfaring, campaigning, journey, excursion, expedition, tour, trip, grand tour, circuit, peregrination, discursion, ramble, pilgrimage, hajj, trek, course, ambulation, march, walk, promenade, constitutional, stroll, saunter, tramp, jog trot, turn, stalk, perambulation, noctambulation, noctambulism, somnambulism, outing, ride, drive, airing, jaunt, equitation, horsemanship, riding, manege, ride and tie, basophobia, roving, vagrancy, pererration, marching and countermarching, nomadism, vagabondism, vagabondage, hoboism, gadding, flit, flitting, migration, emigration, immigration, demigration, intermigration, wanderlust, plan, itinerary, guide, handbook, guidebook, road book, Baedeker, Bradshaw, Murray, map, road map, transportation guide, subway map, procession, cavalcade, caravan, file, cortege, column, vehicle, automobile, train, bus, airplane, plane, autobus, omnibus, subway, motorbike, dirt bike, off-road vehicle, van, minivan, motor scooter, trolley, locomotive, legs, feet, pegs, pins, trotters, traveler, depot, railway station, station, traveling, ambulatory, itinerant, peripatetic, roving, rambling, gadding, discursive, vagrant, migratory, monadic, circumforanean, circumforaneous, noctivagrant, mundivagrant, locomotive, wayfaring, wayworn, travel-stained, on foot, on horseback, on Shanks's mare, by the Marrowbone stage: in transitu, en route, Int, come along!.

VB travel, journey, course, take a journey, go a journey, take a walk, go out for walk, have a run, take the air, flit, take wing, migrate, emigrate, trek, rove, prowl, roam, range, patrol, pace up and down, traverse, scour the country, traverse the country, peragrate, circumambulate, perambulate, nomadize, wander, ramble, stroll, saunter, hover, go one's rounds, straggle, gad, gad about, expatiate, walk, march, step, tread, pace, plod, wend, go by shank's mare, promenade, trudge, tramp, stalk, stride, straddle, strut, foot it, hoof it, stump, bundle, bowl along, toddle, paddle, tread a path, take horse, ride, drive, trot, amble, canter, prance, fisk, frisk, caracoler, caracole, gallop, embark, board, set out, hit the road, get going, get underway, peg on, jog on, wag on, shuffle on, stir one's stumps, bend one's steps, bend one's course, make one's way, find one's way, wend one's way, pick one's way, pick one's way, thread one's way, plow one's way, slide, glide, coast, skim, skate, march in procession, file on, defile, go to, repair to, resort to, hie to, betake oneself to.

For further exploring for "ride" in Webster Dictionary Online