Ride — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈrīd/

Meaning & Definition of Ride

Ride (verb)

  1. to sit and travel on the back of an animal or in a vehicle that one directs
  2. to travel as a passenger in or on something that is moving (as an airplane, bus, train, elevator, etc.)
  3. to go on a mechanical ride at an amusement park

Ride (noun)

  1. an act of riding; especially, a trip on horseback or by vehicle
  2. —used to describe what the experience of riding is like —often used figuratively
  3. a way (such as a road or path) suitable for riding

Ride (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

    "that supervisor is always riding everyone for every little thing"

    similar: bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, taunt, tease, make game of, pick on
    related: deride, gibe, jeer, mock, ridicule, annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, hack (off), hagride, irk, irritate, itch, nag, nark (British), nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, trouble, vex, aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try, aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb, badger, dog, hound, browbeat, bully, hector, harass, harry, persecute, plague, terrorize, torment, torture

  2. to make fun of in a good-natured way

    "his wife couldn't resist riding him for forgetting his own birthday"

    similar: chaff, jive, joke, josh, kid, rally, razz, rib, roast, tease, goof on (slang), take the mickey out of (British)
    related: banter, fool, fun, string along, jest, quip, wisecrack, gag, jape, jolly, yuk (slang)

  3. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "a condor riding high in the sky"

    similar: drift, float, glide, hang, hover, poise, sail, swim, waft
    related: bob, dangle, suspend, buoy, balloon, raft
    opposite: settle, sink
    near: dive, lunge, plunge, dip, immerse, submerge, submerse

  4. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan for the party rides on whether he can come"

    similar: depend, hang, hinge, turn
    related: base, establish, found, rest, stay, ground

Ride (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a means of getting to a destination in a vehicle driven by another

    "an organization that provides rides for senior citizens"

    similar: lift, transportation
    related: drive, spin, turn, joyride, conveyance, passage, transit, transport

Related Entry: Ride (out) (verb)

Ride (out) is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for ride (out), not for ride.

  1. to come safely through

    "just as we always have in the past, we'll ride out this latest crisis"

    similar: survive, weather, make it (through)
    related: outlast, outlive, wear out, pull through, abide, continue, endure, hang on, hold on, hold out, hold up, last, lead, persist, stand, stick out, withstand, be, breathe, exist, live, subsist, flourish, prosper, thrive
    near: croak (slang), decease, depart, die, expire, pass (on), pass away, perish, succumb, disappear, evaporate, fade, vanish, cease, end, stop

Related Entry: Ridden (verb)

Ridden is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for ridden, not for ride.

  1. to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

    "that supervisor is always riding everyone for every little thing"

    similar: baited, hassled, hazed, heckled, needled, taunted, teased, made game of, picked on
    related: derided, gibed, jeered, mocked, ridiculed, annoyed, bothered, bugged, burned (up), chafed, fretted, frosted, galled, gnawed (at), got, grated, griped, hacked (off), hagridden, irked, irritated, itched, nagged, narked (British), nettled, peeved, pestered, piqued, put out, rasped, riled, ruffled, spited, troubled, vexed, aggravated, exasperated, goaded, tested, tried, aggrieved, agitated, bedeviled, beleaguered, discomforted, disturbed, perturbed, badgered, dogged, hounded, browbeaten, bullied, hectored, harassed, harried, persecuted, plagued, terrorized, tormented, tortured

  2. to make fun of in a good-natured way

    "his wife couldn't resist riding him for forgetting his own birthday"

    similar: chaffed, jived, joked, joshed, kidded, rallied, razzed, ribbed, roasted, teased, goofed on (slang), taken the mickey out of (British)
    related: bantered, fooled, funned, strung along, jested, quipped, wisecracked, gagged, japed, jollied, yukked (slang)

  3. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "a condor riding high in the sky"

    similar: drifted, floated, glided, hovered, hung, poised, sailed, swum, wafted
    related: bobbed, dangled, suspended, buoyed, ballooned, rafted
    opposite: settled, sunk
    near: dived, lunged, plunged, dipped, immersed, submerged, submersed

  4. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan for the party rides on whether he can come"

    similar: depended, hinged, hung, turned
    related: based, established, founded, rested, stayed, grounded

Related Entry: Rode (verb)

Rode is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for rode, not for ride.

  1. to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

    "that supervisor is always riding everyone for every little thing"

    similar: baited, hassled, hazed, heckled, needled, taunted, teased, made game of, picked on
    related: derided, gibed, jeered, mocked, ridiculed, annoyed, bothered, bugged, burned (up), chafed, fretted, frosted, galled, gnawed (at), got, grated, griped, hacked (off), hagrode, irked, irritated, itched, nagged, narked (British), nettled, peeved, pestered, piqued, put out, rasped, riled, ruffled, spited, troubled, vexed, aggravated, exasperated, goaded, tested, tried, aggrieved, agitated, bedeviled, beleaguered, discomforted, disturbed, perturbed, badgered, dogged, hounded, browbeat, bullied, hectored, harassed, harried, persecuted, plagued, terrorized, tormented, tortured

  2. to make fun of in a good-natured way

    "his wife couldn't resist riding him for forgetting his own birthday"

    similar: chaffed, jived, joked, joshed, kidded, rallied, razzed, ribbed, roasted, teased, goofed on (slang), took the mickey out of (British)
    related: bantered, fooled, funned, strung along, jested, quipped, wisecracked, gagged, japed, jollied, yukked (slang)

  3. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "a condor riding high in the sky"

    similar: drifted, floated, glided, hovered, hung, poised, sailed, swam, wafted
    related: bobbed, dangled, suspended, buoyed, ballooned, rafted
    opposite: sank, settled
    near: dived, lunged, plunged, dipped, immersed, submerged, submersed

  4. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan for the party rides on whether he can come"

    similar: depended, hinged, hung, turned
    related: based, established, founded, rested, stayed, grounded

Related Entry: Ride herd on (phrase)

Ride herd on is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for ride herd on, not for ride.

  1. to be in charge of

    "Teachers must sometimes ride herd on more than 25 students at once."

    similar: boss, captain, handle, head, overlook, oversee, quarterback, superintend, supervise, call the shots (of), call the tune (for), watch over
    related: administer, command, control, direct, guide, manage, order, run, shepherd, show, steer, monitor, preside (over), govern, reign, rule

Related Entry: Take for a ride (phrase)

Take for a ride is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for take for a ride, not for ride.

  1. to rob by the use of trickery or threats

    "That scam artist really took us for a ride."

    similar: beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fleece, fiddle, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose (slang), hustle, mulct, nobble (British slang), pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize, sell a bill of goods to, take to the cleaners
    related: extort, wrench, wrest, wring, clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak, exploit, milk, deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick, rope (in), betray, bitch, double-cross, bamboozle, fast-talk

Related Entry: Taken for a ride (phrase)

Taken for a ride is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for taken for a ride, not for ride.

  1. to rob by the use of trickery or threats

    "That scam artist really took us for a ride."

    similar: beaten, bilked, bled, cheated, chiseled, choused, conned, cozened, defrauded, diddled, done, done in, euchred, fiddled, fleeced, flimflammed, gaffed, gypped, hosed (slang), hustled, mulcted, nobbled (British slang), plucked, reamed, ripped off, rooked, screwed, shaken down, shortchanged, shorted, skinned, skunked, squeezed, stiffed, stuck, stung, suckered, swindled, thimblerigged, victimized, sold a bill of goods to, taken to the cleaners
    related: extorted, wrenched, wrested, wrung, clipped, gouged, nicked, overcharged, soaked, exploited, milked, deceived, duped, fooled, gulled, tricked, roped (in), betrayed, bitched, double-crossed, bamboozled, fast-talked

Related Entry: Took for a ride (phrase)

Took for a ride is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for took for a ride, not for ride.

  1. to rob by the use of trickery or threats

    "That scam artist really took us for a ride."

    similar: beat, bilked, bled, cheated, chiseled, choused, conned, cozened, defrauded, did, diddled, did in, euchred, fiddled, fleeced, flimflammed, gaffed, gypped, hosed (slang), hustled, mulcted, nobbled (British slang), plucked, reamed, ripped off, rooked, screwed, shook down, shortchanged, shorted, skinned, skunked, squeezed, stiffed, stuck, stung, suckered, swindled, thimblerigged, victimized, sold a bill of goods to, took to the cleaners
    related: extorted, wrenched, wrested, wrung, clipped, gouged, nicked, overcharged, soaked, exploited, milked, deceived, duped, fooled, gulled, tricked, roped (in), betrayed, bitched, double-crossed, bamboozled, fast-talked

Related Entry: Takes for a ride (phrase)

Takes for a ride is a different word from Ride. The synonyms below are for takes for a ride, not for ride.

  1. to rob by the use of trickery or threats

    "That scam artist really took us for a ride."

    similar: beats, bilks, bleeds, cheats, chisels, chouses, cons, cozens, defrauds, diddles, does, does in, euchres, fiddles, fleeces, flimflams, gaffs, hoses (slang), hustles, mulcts, nobbles (British slang), plucks, reams, rips off, rooks, screws, shakes down, shortchanges, shorts, skins, skunks, squeezes, sticks, stiffs, stings, suckers, swindles, thimblerigs, victimizes, sells a bill of goods to, takes to the cleaners
    related: extorts, wrenches, wrests, wrings, clips, gouges, nicks, overcharges, soaks, exploits, milks, deceives, dupes, fools, gulls, tricks, ropes (in), betrays, bitches, double-crosses, bamboozles, fast-talks

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Ride

The most common words with a similar meaning to Ride:

Slang: goof on
British: take the mickey out of
bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, taunt, tease, chaff, jive, joke, josh, kid, rally, razz, rib, roast, drift, float, glide, hang, hover, poise, sail, swim, waft, depend, hinge, turn, make game of, pick on, lift, transportation

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Ride

Words with the opposite meaning of Ride:

settle, sink

Related Words for Ride

deride, gibe, jeer, mock, ridicule, annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, hack (off), hagride, irk, irritate, itch, nag, nark, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp

Near Antonyms of Ride

dive, lunge, plunge, dip, immerse, submerge, submerse

Word Forms of Ride

Inflections: rode, rid, ridden, riding, rides

Derived words: rideable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Ride

Middle English, from Old English rīdan; akin to Old High German rītan to ride, Middle Irish réidid he rides

First known use: before 12th centuryi

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Ride

Words & Phrases Containing Ride

ride circuit, ride for a fall, ride herd on, ride high, ride-sharing, ride shotgun

Frequently Asked Questions about Ride

What does "Ride" mean?

"Ride" means to sit and travel on the back of an animal or in a vehicle that one directs. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to sit and travel on the back of an animal or in a vehicle that one directs. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Ride"?

Other words for "Ride" include bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, taunt, tease and chaff. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Ride" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Ride"?

There are 124 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Ride". Common alternatives include bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, taunt, tease, chaff, jive and joke.

What is the opposite of "Ride"?

Antonyms of "Ride" include settle and sink. Near antonyms include dive, lunge, plunge and dip.

How do you use "Ride" in a sentence?

Examples of "Ride" in a sentence: "that supervisor is always riding everyone for every little thing"; "his wife couldn't resist riding him for forgetting his own birthday"; "a condor riding high in the sky".

Is "Ride" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Ride" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Ride" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Ride" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Ride"?

"Ride" is pronounced /ˈrīd/.