Meaning of “ride” in the English Dictionary

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"ride" in English

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rideverb

uk ​ /raɪd/ us ​ /raɪd/ rode, ridden

A1 [ I or T ] to sit on something such as a bicycle, motorbike, or horse and travel along on it controlling its movements:

I learned to ride a bike when I was six.
I ride my moped to work.
I ride to work on my moped.
The hunters came riding by/past on their horses.

› [ I ] to ride a horse:

Can you ride?
Their daughter is learning to ride.
He rides well/badly.

A2 [ I or T ] to travel in a vehicle, such as a car, bus, or train:

He doesn't have a car so he rides to work on the bus.
mainly US We rode the train from San Diego to Portland.

› [ T ] US to try to control someone and force them to work:

Your boss is riding you much too hard at the moment.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

be riding for a fall
be riding high
let sth ride
ride (on) a wave of sth
ride herd on sb/sth
ride (out) the storm
ride roughshod over sb/sth

Phrasal verb(s)

ride on sth/sb
ride sth out
ride up

ridenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /raɪd/ us ​ /raɪd/

B1 a journey on a horse or bicycle, or in a vehicle:

It's a short bus ride to the airport.
I went for a (horse) ride last Saturday.
Do you want to come for a ride on my bike?

B1 mainly US UK usually lift a free journey in a car to a place where you want to go:

He asked me for a ride into town.

› US a person who gives you a ride in their car:

Well, I have to go - my ride is here.

› US informal someone's car:

Hey, nice ride.

B1 a machine in an amusement park that people travel in or are moved around by for entertainment:

We went on all the rides.
My favourite ride is the Ferris wheel.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

a rough ride
take sb for a ride

(Definition of “ride” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"ride" in American English

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rideverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /rɑɪd/ past tense rode /roʊd/ , past participle ridden /ˈrɪd·ən/

› to sit on a horse, bicycle, etc. and travel on it while controlling its movements, or to travel in a vehicle, such as a car, bus, or train:

[ I ] I ride to work on my bike.
[ T ] We rode the subway from Coney Island to the Bronx.

› To ride someone is to criticize someone, esp. to forcefully persuade that person to do more or to do what you want:

[ T ] Your boss rides you much too hard.

Idiom(s)

ride a wave of something
riding high

Phrasal verb(s)

ride on something
ride out something
ride up

ridenoun [ C ]

us ​ /rɑɪd/

› a trip on an animal or bicycle, etc., or in a vehicle:

It’s a short bus ride to the airport.

› A ride is also a machine in an amusement park which spins or moves people for entertainment:

My favorite ride is the Ferris wheel.

(Definition of “ride” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"ride" in Business English

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rideverb [ T ]

uk ​ /raɪd/ us ​ rode, ridden

› to deal effectively with a situation that changes quickly or is difficult, usually getting an advantage from it:

He came to Iowa Falls in 1985, and has ridden the ups and downs of the rural economy ever since.
They rode the stock market recovery so effectively that the value of their portfolio increased by 146% during the last quarter.
be riding for a fall

› to be involved in a situation that may end badly:

The specialist mortgage lender's lowly rating is because of widespread concerns that the buy-to-let housing market is riding for a fall.
be riding high

› to be having a period of great success:

Shares in the telecoms company are riding high, at around $24 per share.
ride the wave (of sth) also ride the crest of a wave

› to enjoy the advantages of a particular situation:

Banks who rode the mortgage wave for years are now experiencing much harder times.

Phrasal verb(s)

ride on sth
ride sth out

ridenoun

uk ​ /raɪd/ us ​
a bumpy/rough/easy, etc. ride informal

› used to describe a situation that is dangerous, difficult, easy, etc.:

Stocks could be in for a bumpy ride as Wall Street tries to guess the outcome of the Federal Reserve's next monetary policy meeting.
See also
free ride
take sb for a ride informal

› to intentionally do something dishonest or unpleasant in order to get an advantage for yourself:

Some so-called "market professionals" have been taking inexperienced shareholders for a ride.

(Definition of “ride” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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