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:
But Trump’s latest posts appear less interested in interrogating Washington than in imagining him as a collaborator — writing, riding and offering design tips to his 21st-century successor.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
"I really cannot explain how going up to a shark and touching it or riding it is doing anything to aid conservation," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
He added, accurately, that control of Congress could be riding on it.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Sandisk is riding a major wave of memory demand at the moment, and management just offered Wall Street a road map for growth stretching through the rest of the decade.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
“We were each riding on a tree,” Jonathan said.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Until he moved to an address in Otley, West Yorkshire, as part of his bail conditions, Bush lived in an affluent part of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Riding a wave of hype and capital, quantum computing was thrust back into the spotlight last month as the U.S. government made a $2 billion bet on the technology.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Appeared in the May 19, 2026, print edition as 'Obscure Fund Has a Lot Riding On SpaceX'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Riding the La Grande XL costs $15 for a 10-minute general admission ride, but you can spend $80 for a private gondola for up to six people and an express lane.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
Riding someone’s shoulder and hair glittering in firelight.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
