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Synonyms

riding

1 American  
[rahy-ding] / ˈraɪ dɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that rides.

adjective

  1. used in traveling or in riding.

    riding clothes.
riding 2 American  
[rahy-ding] / ˈraɪ dɪŋ /

noun

  1. any of the three administrative divisions into which Yorkshire, England, is divided, namely, North Riding, East Riding, and West Riding.

  2. any similar administrative division elsewhere.

Riding 3 American  
[rahy-ding] / ˈraɪ dɪŋ /

noun

  1. Laura, 1901–91, U.S. poet, novelist, and critic.

riding 1 British  
/ ˈraɪdɪŋ /

noun

    1. the art or practice of horsemanship

    2. ( as modifier )

      a riding school

      riding techniques
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
riding 2 British  
/ ˈraɪdɪŋ /

noun

  1. (capital when part of a name) any of the three former administrative divisions of Yorkshire: North Riding, East Riding and West Riding

  2. (in Canada) a parliamentary constituency

  3. (in New Zealand) a rural electorate for local government

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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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.

Pincay’s total was topped by Russell Baze, who took 12,842 wins, but in a riding career that featured wins at lesser tracks against lesser competition.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

Queen Elizabeth II's easy relationship with Ronald Reagan seemed to be summed up in pictures of them riding together in 1982.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

After riding the crest of the first wave of the AI boom, Microsoft has lost momentum.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The other two were riding in a separate vehicle and not harmed.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

“If you haven’t noticed, Aunt Kitty, I’m just fine riding railcars toward peril.”

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Definitions 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.