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:
The rebalance took place in late June, when semiconductor stocks were riding a seemingly relentless surge and megacap tech was lagging behind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The green points jersey was awarded to Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, after tenacious riding on climbs he is not typically strong on to hoover up mid-stage points, alongside winning stage four.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Now an AI player, the chip maker is riding strong demand from data centers and hasn’t felt the worst of the memory-chip squeeze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Cadillac Chronicles” features Freeman riding in his 1974 Cadillac Eldorado with a musician, usually a hip-hop or R&B artist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
I was riding like the wind, shooting right and left.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Riding home from an in-person swap where Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior is secured.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 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
Riding the line of being just about to break, it’s so much fun.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
Riding in their car is none other than Vice President JD Vance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
Riding in open country about ten miles south of Washington, John Wilkes Booth and David Herold would soon reach their own safe house.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
