ride
Definitions
General English
Cars & Driving
- noun the degree of comfort, especially with regard to the suspension, experienced by the passengers
Military
Slang
- noun an act of sexual intercourse or a sex partner. This is a later derivation of the (now less common) verb form of the word.
- noun a car. This sense of the word probably originated in US usage.
- verb to copulate (with). A metaphorical usage which has been in evidence since at least the 16th century, when it was a standard synonym or euphemism in the same way as ‘mount’. Ride is still heard in this sexual sense, albeit rarely, whereas the noun form is still fairly widespread.
Travel
- verb to go for a trip on a horse, on a bicycle, in a car, etc.
Origin & History of “ride”
Ride is a widespread Germanic verb, with close relatives in German reiten, Dutch rijden, Swedish rida, and Danish ride. It apparently has connections in the Celtic languages – Irish rīadaim ‘ride’ and Gaulish rēda ‘chariot’, for instance – but its ultimate provenance is unclear.
