I. ride 1 S2 W2 /raɪd/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense rode /rəʊd $ roʊd/, past participle ridden /ˈrɪdn/)
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ ride , ↑ rider , ↑ riding , ↑ override ; verb : ↑ ride , ↑ override ; adjective : ↑ overriding ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: ridan ]
1 . ANIMAL [intransitive and transitive] to sit on an animal, especially a horse, and make it move along:
She learned to ride when she was seven.
He was riding a large grey mare.
ride on
She arrived riding on a white horse.
ride away/across/through etc
He rode away across the marshes.
2 . BICYCLE/MOTORBIKE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to travel on a bicycle or ↑ motorbike :
He had never learned to ride a bicycle.
They mounted their bikes and rode off.
3 . VEHICLE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] especially American English to travel in a bus, car, or other vehicle that you are not driving:
We got onto the bus and rode into San Francisco.
ride in
The kids were riding in the back.
ride a bus American English :
Ann rides the bus to work.
► Do not use ride to talk about someone controlling a car or other vehicle. Use drive : the man who was driving the stolen car
4 . IN A LIFT [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] American English to travel up or down in a ↑ lift
ride up/down
He rode the elevator down to the first floor.
I rode up to the tenth floor.
5 . WATER/AIR
a) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to be floating in water or in the air:
The smaller boat was lighter and rode higher in the water.
The moon was riding high in the sky.
There was a large ship riding at anchor in the bay.
b) ride a wave to float on a wave and move forward with it:
surfboarders riding the waves
6 . be riding high to feel very happy and confident:
They were still riding high after their election victory.
7 . let something ride spoken to take no action about something that is wrong or unpleasant:
What he had said was wrong, and I knew I shouldn’t just let it ride.
8 . ride roughshod over something to ignore someone else’s feelings or ideas because you have the power or authority to do this:
The planning authorities should not ride roughshod over the wishes of local people.
9 . ANNOY SOMEBODY [transitive] American English spoken to annoy someone by often criticizing them or asking them to do things:
Why are you riding her so hard?
10 . ride on sb’s shoulders/back if a child rides on someone’s shoulders or back, they are carried in that way
11 . ride a punch/blow to move back slightly when someone hits you, so that you are not hit with so much force:
He managed to ride the punch.
12 . be riding for a fall informal to be doing something unwise which could result in failure:
I had a feeling he was riding for a fall, and tried to tell him so.
ride on something phrasal verb
if one thing is riding on another, it depends on it:
He knew he had to win – his reputation was riding on it.
There’s a lot riding on this match.
ride something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 . if a ship rides out a storm, it manages to keep floating until the storm has ended
2 . if you ride out a difficult situation, you are not badly harmed by it:
Most large companies should be able to ride out the recession.
ride up phrasal verb
if a piece of clothing rides up, it moves upwards so that it is no longer covering your body properly
II. ride 2 S3 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ ride , ↑ rider , ↑ riding , ↑ override ; verb : ↑ ride , ↑ override ; adjective : ↑ overriding ]
1 . CAR/TRAIN ETC a journey in a vehicle, when you are not driving ⇨ lift
ride in
He invited me to go for a ride in his new car.
Can you give me a ride back to town?
Sammy had promised to take me for a ride in his truck.
I managed to get a ride down to the station.
We hitched a ride (=got a free ride from a passing vehicle) into town.
car/bus/train etc ride
A fifteen minute taxi ride will take you to the airport.
a smooth/comfortable/bumpy etc ride
The new model offers a lovely smooth, comfortable ride.
2 . HORSE/BICYCLE a journey on a bicycle, a horse, or a similar animal
ride on
Can I have a ride on your bike?
a bike/bicycle ride
Shall we go for a bike ride this afternoon?
3 . a rough/easy ride informal if people give someone, especially someone in authority, a rough or an easy ride, they make a situation difficult or easy for them:
Journalists gave the Prime Minister a rough ride at the press conference.
The chairman will face a rough ride from shareholders.
The President will not have an easy ride when he gives his account of events.
4 . a bumpy ride informal if something has a bumpy ride, it experiences a lot of problems:
Shares had a bumpy ride yesterday, falling by an average of 15%.
The new bill could be in for a bumpy ride when it is put before parliament.
5 . take somebody for a ride spoken to trick someone, especially in order to get money from them:
I’d just begun to realise he was taking me for a ride.
6 . come/go along for the ride spoken to join what other people are doing just for pleasure, not because you are seriously interested in it:
A couple of friends had come along for the ride.
7 . MACHINE a large machine that people ride on for fun at a ↑ fair :
We went on loads of rides.
8 . PATH literary a path for riding on a horse in the countryside:
a grassy ride
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ take/have a ride
Visitors can take a ride on a steam train.
▪ go for a ride
He went for a ride in a private plane piloted by a friend.
▪ give somebody a ride
Ellie gave us a ride to school.
▪ get a ride AmE:
I left the farm that night, and got a ride into town.
▪ hitch a ride (=get a free ride from a passing vehicle)
He hitched a ride to Denver on a truck.
▪ take somebody for a ride
Hugh took me for a ride in his new car.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + ride
▪ a car/bus/train etc ride
The resort is a short bus ride away from the hotel.
▪ a short/long ride
I climbed slowly aboard the bus for the long ride to Hawkesworth.
▪ a smooth/comfortable ride
The new suspension produces a smoother ride.
▪ a bumpy ride
Part of the flight had been a bumpy ride through a thunderstorm.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ by plane/boat/car/bicycle etc
▪ flight a journey by air:
You should check in at the airport two hours before your flight.
▪ voyage /ˈvɔɪ-ɪdʒ/ a long journey over the sea:
MacArthur’s epic round-the-world voyage
▪ crossing a short journey by boat from one piece of land to another:
A 30-minute ferry crossing takes you to the island.
▪ cruise a journey by boat for pleasure:
a Mediterranean cruise
|
a cruise down the Nile
▪ drive a journey in a car, often for pleasure:
The drive through the mountains was absolutely beautiful.
▪ ride a short journey in a car, or on a bicycle or horse:
It’s a twenty-minute taxi ride to the station.
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a bike ride