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Glite Dictionary
to bestride

to bestride

1 8.8
To sit or stand with a leg on each side of something like a horse
  • verb
  • /bɪˈstraɪd/
translation icon : montar
  • He had to bestride the log to cross the river safely.
  • bestride the world

We stand bestride all of our history as judge, jury, and hangman, and we're not even curious to hear the case for our own defense.

Examples

  • She decided to bestride the fence to get a better view of the concert.

  • When I bestride him, I soar.

    Henry V (1989)

  • Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a colossus.

    Walker (1987)

  • Harry Potter doth bestride the modern world like a colossus.

    Blog text (11)

  • China may very well bestride the world, but it will do so on shaky legs, and the policies that currently enable it to do so will undermine its ability to do so in the long run.

    Blog text (14)

  • The Wall bestrides the mountains, hurdling them in seven-league boots.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The response of U.S. diplomacy to the religious scaffolding that bestrides the international order has been at best inconsistent and often incoherent.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Orion was hilly risen and seemed to bestride the close ridgelines on either side of the cove with the sure demeanor of one who knows his own mind and follows it.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Private McNeal had exultingly stood with a foot on each side of this little rivulet and thanked his God that he had lived to bestride the mighty and heretofore deemed endless Missouri.

    Blog text (2)

  • The rider expertly bestride his horse during the competition.

Synonyms

to hop on
vsto bestride
  • Informal
53 2.7

To get onto something like a horse, bike, or bus quickly and lightly

focuses on doing this by placing legs across rather than moving lightly
to mount
vsto bestride
49 3.0

To get on an animal or bike to ride

focuses on doing this by placing legs on each side to sit
to get on
vsto bestride
37 1.0

Climb onto a horse or bike

emphasizes doing this by placing legs across to sit or stand
to climb on
vsto bestride
19 2.0

To get up onto the back or top of something, especially an animal

involves placing legs on each side rather than mainly pulling oneself up
to straddle
vsto bestride
19 4.4

To sit or stand with a leg on each side of something

describes getting up by placing legs across to sit or stand
to jump on
vsto bestride
13 1.8

To get quickly onto the back of something like a horse or bike

involves placing legs on each side instead of arriving by a sudden leap
to mount up
vsto bestride
7 4.0

To get onto the back of an animal like a horse to ride it

is done by placing legs on each side when rising onto a back

Antonyms

to dismount
21 4.5

To get off a horse, bicycle, or vehicle

Idioms

to bestride the world of fashion
9.7

To be a leader in the world of fashion

How Formal

to bestride
1 8.8
to straddle
19 4.4
to mount
49 3.0
to get on
37 1.0

Surface Forms

bestride infinitive
bestriding present participle
bestrides third person singular
bestrid past
bestrid past participle

Morphology

bestride = stride (semi-transparent) = be + stride

The form is clearly be- + stride, but the specific meaning 'to sit or stand astride' is related to but not fully predictable from the primary sense of 'stride' (to walk).

Etymology

Bestride is made of be- (a small word meaning 'on' or 'around') and stride (a 'long step'), so it originally meant to stand with a long step 'on' something. That's why to bestride something is to sit or stand with a leg on each side, much like the word straddle.