riding
noun
the act of a person or thing that rides.
riding
1 American
[rahy-ding]
/ ˈraɪ dɪŋ /
noun
adjective
riding
2
American
[rahy-ding]
/ ˈraɪ dɪŋ /
noun
-
any of the three administrative divisions into which Yorkshire, England, is divided, namely, North Riding, East Riding, and West Riding.
-
any similar administrative division elsewhere.
Riding
3
American
[rahy-ding]
/ ˈraɪ dɪŋ /
noun
riding
1
British
/ ˈraɪdɪŋ /
noun
riding
2
British
/ ˈraɪdɪŋ /
noun
-
(capital when part of a name) any of the three former administrative divisions of Yorkshire: North Riding, East Riding and West Riding
-
(in Canada) a parliamentary constituency
-
(in New Zealand) a rural electorate for local government
Etymology
Origin of riding1
before 1000; Middle English (noun, adj.); Old English rīdende (adj.). See ride, -ing 1, -ing 2
Origin of riding2
1250–1300; Middle English triding, Old English *thriding < Old Norse thridjungr third part; t- (of ME), variant of th- (of OE), lost by assimilation to -t in east, west, which commonly preceded
Explanation
Use the word riding for the sport of maneuvering a horse while sitting on its back. So when your friend invites you to go riding, you'd better be prepared to climb up into a saddle. You can also call this sport horseback riding, or if you want to get really fancy, equestrianism. Riding involves, of course, staying perched on the back of a horse while it trots, canters, or gallops along. There are a lot of additional variations on riding, including horse racing, rodeo events, and dressage, which involves dance-like movements that are judged on how athletic and graceful the horse is and how relaxed the rider appears.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And it will enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the NWSL, riding a league-best 10-game unbeaten streak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Bellingham said other wind farms were now riding "the coattails of Monsoon", with one Laos official pointing to 10 to 15 projects under development nationwide.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Sasan Goodarzi was a market hero his first six years as CEO, riding the company’s stock price from about $200 to almost $800.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
It’s also attributable to an immensely painful derisking and deleveraging process among domestic retail investors who had been riding the stock market’s blistering rally throughout 2025 and the first half of 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Was she wondering if he was still out there, riding that horse in his long johns?
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Patrick Hewes Stewart was born in Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire on 13 July 1940.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Little Red Riding Hood” by Jessie Willcox Smith is among multiple works with fairy-tale themes in her gallery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Evo update allows riders to change suspension settings on the move, regardless of Riding Mode.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Riding with another person on the back is another common issue.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Riding a unicorn was not like riding a horse: it did not move like a horse; it was a wilder ride, and a stranger one.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
