bə̇, bē+ transitive verb
( bestrode also bestrid ; bestridden also bestrid or bestrode ; bestriding ; bestrides )
Etymology: Middle English bestriden, from Old English bestrīdan, from be- + strīdan to stride — more at stride
1.
a. : to ride astride
I saw fair boys bestriding steeds — R.W.Emerson
: mount
bestrode his precious bike, and … went roaring out — Elizabeth Goudge
b. : to sit astride
two small boys bestriding a fallen log
c. : to lie on either side of : straddle
one rather formal consultation about a dead balsam that bestrode the property line — A.B.Mayse
: span
a bridge bestriding the torrential river
2.
a. : to stand astride (as a fallen man) : stand over
b. : to dominate absolutely : have unquestioned control over : tower over
bestrides the new Democratic Congress as … in the past — W.S.White
3. archaic : to stride across