stride

American  

[strahyd] / straɪd /

verb (used without object)

• strides,
  present (3rd person singular)
• strode,
  past participle,  past
• stridden,
  past participle
• striding
  present participle

1. to walk with long steps, as with vigor, haste, impatience, or arrogance.

2. to take a long step.

   to stride across a puddle.

3. to straddle.

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verb (used with object)

• strides,
  present (3rd person singular)
• strode,
  past participle,  past
• stridden,
  past participle
• striding
  present participle

1. to walk with long steps along, on, through, over, etc..

   to stride the deck.

2. to pass over or across in one long step.

   to stride a ditch.

3. to straddle.

noun

• strides
  plural

1. a striding manner or a striding gait.

2. a long step in walking.

3. (in animal locomotion) the act of progressive movement completed when all the feet are returned to the same relative position as at the beginning.

4. the distance covered by such a movement.

   He was walking a stride or two ahead of the others.

5. a regular or steady course, pace, etc.

6. a step forward in development or progress.

   rapid strides in mastering algebra.

   Synonyms:

   improvement, headway, progress, development, advancement

7. Australian Informal. strides, trousers.

idioms

1. hit one's stride,

   1. to achieve a regular or steady pace or course.

   2. to reach the point or level at which one functions most competently and consistently.

      The quarterback didn't hit his stride until the second half of the game.

2. take in stride, to deal with calmly; cope with successfully.

   She was able to take her sudden rise to fame in stride.

stride British  

/ straɪd /

noun

1. a long step or pace

2. the space measured by such a step

3. a striding gait

4. an act of forward movement by an animal, completed when the legs have returned to their initial relative positions

5. progress or development (esp in the phrase make rapid strides )

6. a regular pace or rate of progress

   to get into one's stride

   to be put off one's stride

7. rowing the distance covered between strokes

8. Also called: stride piano.  jazz a piano style characterized by single bass notes on the first and third beats and chords on the second and fourth

9. informal (plural) men's trousers

10. to do something without difficulty or effort

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verb

1. (intr) to walk with long regular or measured paces, as in haste, etc

2. (tr) to cover or traverse by striding

   he strode thirty miles

3. to cross (over a space, obstacle, etc) with a stride

4. (intr) rowing to achieve the desired rhythm in a racing shell

stride More Idioms  

1. see hit one's stride; make great strides; take in stride.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• strider
  noun
• outstride
  verb (used with object)
• stridingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• strides
  plural

Participles

• striding
  present
• stridden
  past
• strode
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stride
  simple
• strides
  simple
• have stridden
  perfect
• have strode
  perfect
• has stridden
  perfect
• has strode
  perfect
• am striding
  progressive
• are striding
  progressive
• is striding
  progressive
• have been striding
  perfect progressive
• has been striding
  perfect progressive

Past

• strode
  simple
• had stridden
  perfect
• had strode
  perfect
• was striding
  progressive
• were striding
  progressive
• had been striding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stride
  simple
• will have stridden
  perfect
• will have strode
  perfect
• will be striding
  progressive
• will have been striding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stride

First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English striden, Old English strīdan; cognate with Dutch strijden, Low German strīden “to stride”; (noun) Middle English stride, derivative of the verb; akin to straddle

Explanation

The noun stride means "significant progress." You might make a huge stride towards making peace with the rival school by hosting a block party and inviting their students. The noun stride also means "a step made while running or walking." If you are bored, you can count your strides between home and the bus stop. As a verb, stride means "to walk or run by taking long steps." Elite runners stride, making it look easy. But even if you are a slow jogger, don't give up — you make great strides to improve your health when you exercise regularly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stride strides strode stridden striding

So he did, matching Garton stride for stride before losing his breakfast all over himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

As we dug through the shelves, one of the building’s residents emerged from the front door with the stride of a woman on a mission.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Markets took the announcement largely in stride, a contrast to Friday’s reaction to Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3, which sparked a global selloff in AI stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

England have the chance to take a giant stride towards immortality when they face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in their biggest match since winning the 1966 final at Wembley.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

I looked over my shoulder at her without breaking my stride.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Improvements followed, with sixth and fourth in the next two campaigns signalling strides in the right direction, but finishing 10th last season was another big blow.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Wade, and making skillful strides on the world stage.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

While the “Heartstopper” team expected the series to resonate with younger audiences, they have been particularly moved by the reactions of older queer viewers, who have marveled at the strides in LGBTQ+ representation onscreen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Anyway, when the couple angrily strides across the street to confront Max, we’re supposed to be in their corner.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

Beejee’s long strides as he walked toward the dumpster.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Savannah crossed town to the University of Arizona, her alma mater, and strode the quad in sunglasses and a sundress, trailed by the marching band playing the school’s fight song, “Bear Down, Arizona.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Traore has remained cool, calm and collected throughout his journey, even when he strode on to the NFL Draft stage.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

"I'm the boss," Trump said as he strode in to the morning session of the last day, with the other leaders already in their seats.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Most nights, after her husband, Carlos Manzo, tucked their small sons into bed, he donned a bullet-resistant vest, made the sign of the cross and strode out into the night.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

All three grabbed the animal’s legs, and together they managed to pull him back a few feet into the dubious safety of the woods, as Merriweather boldly strode forward to stand on the fallen roof.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

And it is into this perceived vacuum that Andy Burnham has stridden, again, to the intense irritation of Downing Street and plenty of Labour MPs.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025

He had stridden through the deep woods with no thought of danger; he concentrated only on finding the pair that he had seen so close to death.

From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry

He had never scrupled to thrust from his path whoever or whatever stood in his way, and had stridden on without a backward glance.

From The Bell in the Fog and Other Stories by Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn

But when the last soldier had stridden clanking out of the tent, a distant thudding became audible, like the approach of a body of horse.

From The Path to Honour by Grier, Sydney C.

But Foster was a man not easily daunted by such things, and he had stridden on manfully, fully occupied by his own thoughts, till he reached the stile where the footpath to the ruins began.

From True to his Colours The Life that Wears Best by Helm, D. A.

Rangzen's livestream of his death shows a heavy-set man striding across a street in a traditional "chuba" robe and planting a Tibetan flag outside the UN.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

There we discover that she is striding forward, signaling that the American project isn’t a one-off but a ceaseless effort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

One imagines not the ghost of Cathy or Heathcliff, but a trio of women, very much alive and striding through the heather, their minds alight with the stories they would tell, set among similar terrain.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

Co-written by actual opera singer Vesna Aćimović, it's all about women breaking free of gender stereotypes and striding towards a new dawn.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

“A hundred reasons!” she said loudly, striding out from behind the sofa to slam her glass upon the table.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• stalk
• traipse
• tramp