raɪd 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). ølet 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. øøridable adj. [OE ridan]