Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Ride \Ride\, v. i. [imp. {Rode} (r[=o]d) ({Rid} [r[i^]d],
   archaic); p. p. {Ridden}({Rid}, archaic); p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Riding}.] [AS. r[=i]dan; akin to LG. riden, D. rijden, G.
   reiten, OHG. r[=i]tan, Icel. r[=i][eth]a, Sw. rida, Dan.
   ride; cf. L. raeda a carriage, which is from a Celtic word.
   Cf. {Road}.]
   1. To be carried on the back of an animal, as a horse.

            To-morrow, when ye riden by the way.  --Chaucer.

            Let your master ride on before, and do you gallop
            after him.                            --Swift.

   2. To be borne in a carriage; as, to ride in a coach, in a
      car, and the like. See Synonym, below.

            The richest inhabitants exhibited their wealth, not
            by riding in gilden carriages, but by walking the
            streets with trains of servants.      --Macaulay.

   3. To be borne or in a fluid; to float; to lie.

            Men once walked where ships at anchor ride.
                                                  --Dryden.

   4. To be supported in motion; to rest.

            Strong as the exletree On which heaven rides.
                                                  --Shak.

            On whose foolish honesty My practices ride easy!
                                                  --Shak.

   5. To manage a horse, as an equestrian.

            He rode, he fenced, he moved with graceful ease.
                                                  --Dryden.

   6. To support a rider, as a horse; to move under the saddle;
      as, a horse rides easy or hard, slow or fast.

   {To ride easy} (Naut.), to lie at anchor without violent
      pitching or straining at the cables.

   {To ride hard} (Naut.), to pitch violently.

   {To ride out}.
      (a) To go upon a military expedition. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
      (b) To ride in the open air. [Colloq.]

   {To ride to hounds}, to ride behind, and near to, the hounds
      in hunting.

   Syn: Drive.

   Usage: {Ride}, {Drive}. Ride originally meant (and is so used
          throughout the English Bible) to be carried on
          horseback or in a vehicle of any kind. At present in
          England, drive is the word applied in most cases to
          progress in a carriage; as, a drive around the park,
          etc.; while ride is appropriated to progress on a
          horse. Johnson seems to sanction this distinction by
          giving ``to travel on horseback'' as the leading sense
          of ride; though he adds ``to travel in a vehicle'' as
          a secondary sense. This latter use of the word still
          occurs to some extent; as, the queen rides to
          Parliament in her coach of state; to ride in an
          omnibus.

                ``Will you ride over or drive?'' said Lord
                Willowby to his quest, after breakfast that
                morning.                          --W. Black.

Rode \Rode\, n. [See {Rud}.]
   Redness; complexion. [Obs.] ``His rode was red.'' --Chaucer.

Rode \Rode\,
   imp. of {Ride}.

Rode \Rode\, n.
   See {Rood}, the cross. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Source : WordNet®

ride
     n 1: a journey in a vehicle driven by someone else; "he took the
          family for a drive in his new car" [syn: {drive}]
     2: a mechanical device that you ride for amusement or
        excitement
     [also: {rode}, {ridden}]

ride
     v 1: sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while
          controlling its motions; "She never sat a horse!"; "Did
          you ever ride a camel?"; "The girl liked to drive the
          young mare" [syn: {sit}]
     2: be carried or travel on or in a vehicle; "I ride to work in
        a bus"; "He rides the subway downtown every day" [ant: {walk}]
     3: continue undisturbed and without interference; "Let it ride"
     4: move like a floating object; "The moon rode high in the
        night sky"
     5: harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children
        teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my
        failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a
        jacket and tie" [syn: {tease}, {razz}, {rag}, {cod}, {tantalize},
         {tantalise}, {bait}, {taunt}, {twit}, {rally}]
     6: be sustained or supported or borne; "His glasses rode high
        on his nose"; "The child rode on his mother's hips"; "She
        rode a wave of popularity"; "The brothers rode to an easy
        victory on their father's political name"
     7: have certain properties when driven; "This car rides
        smoothly"; "My new truck drives well" [syn: {drive}]
     8: be contingent on; "The outcomes rides on the results of the
        electin"; "Your grade will depends on your homework" [syn:
         {depend on}, {devolve on}, {depend upon}, {turn on}, {hinge
        on}, {hinge upon}]
     9: lie moored or anchored; "Ship rides at anchor"
     10: sit on and control a vehicle; "He rides his bicycle to work
         every day"; "She loves to ride her new motorcycle through
         town"
     11: climb up on the body; "Shorts that ride up"; "This skirt
         keeps riding up my legs"
     12: ride over, along, or through; "Travel the highways of
         America"; "Ride the freeways of California"
     13: keep partially engaged by slightly depressing a pedal with
         the foot; "Don't ride the clutch!"
     14: copulate with; "The bull was riding the cow" [syn: {mount}]
     [also: {rode}, {ridden}]

rode
     See {ride}