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

When there are unknowns about how an industry will metabolize certain technological changes, they want to hire someone who bounces back from mistakes and takes setbacks in stride.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Her performances in Glasgow will have raised the expectation levels for her again but O'Connor is getting used to dealing with and taking all that outside noise in her stride.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 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

I was ready to start crying, but everyone else seemed to take their disappointment in stride.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

She told broadcaster ABC the sport had made strides in dealing with issues like sexism and racism in recent years, but added:

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

As a result, their strides were shorter, and their walking speeds were slower.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 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

All three of the children had made remarkable strides regarding their own educations, yet there were many times that their governess felt she was still figuring things out “on the fly,” so to speak.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Outreach workers with ID lanyards strode through the trash-strewn landscape like lifeguards working against endless tides of fresh emergencies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Iran’s players strode out together from the Los Angeles Chargers’ locker room and made their way to a bus to LAX.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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

When Graham Potter strode out to Sweden training last week donning a Stetson, it was a bit of fun to get into the World Cup mood as they prepared for the tournament in Texas.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

I strode on ahead up the snow-covered track.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

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

But already John Willie had stridden on ahead.

From Mushroom Town by Oliver Onions

Page 174 Roscoe Bent had thrown his chair back and without so much as excusing himself had stridden over to the bay window, where he stood holding the curtain aside and looking out.

From Tom Slade with the Colors by Thomas Clarity

So saying, John Upham had stridden forth out of the doctor's yard, where he had held the conversation with him, with Jake Noyes and two other men covertly listening.

From Jerome, A Poor Man A Novel by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

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

Then he spots Argentine rapper Trueno striding across the stadium floor, and rushes over for a hug.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 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

He spun around and found Dimple striding toward him, practically running, her hair streaming behind her.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• stalk
• traipse
• tramp