ride

ride

I

ride¹ S2 W2 /raɪd/ verb (past tense rode /rəʊd $ roʊd/, past participle ridden /ˈrɪdn/)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

ride² S3 noun [countable]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. | a bike ride