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.
(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
before 1000; Middle English (noun, adj.); Old English rīdende (adj.). See ride, -ing 1, -ing 2
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
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan should been riding this year in Trooping the Colour.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
The commercials aim to ease fears surrounding self-driving cars, with a gentle reminder of how human drivers can be flawed, but their focus is more on people riding in Waymos than the technology itself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Visitors can experience a variety of outdoor adventures including ziplining, canyoneering and horseback riding.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
Shares ultimately broke above the $952.11 pivot on May 13 and are now riding a five-week winning streak.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
A hawk circles above, riding on the thermals, searching for mice tunneling through the fields.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
