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Glite Dictionary
to take the ride

to take the ride

1 7.7
To accept an experience without knowing what will happen
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : aceptar la experiencia
  • Life can be unpredictable, but it's important to take the ride and embrace the challenges.

Examples

  • Will you care to take the ride with me?

    The Marseille Contract (1974)

  • " We'll take the ride," the guy said.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • If you want to succeed in business, sometimes you have to take the ride and see where it leads.

  • She decided to take the ride even though she was nervous about the outcome.

Synonyms

to experience
vsto take the ride
∞ 2.1

To feel something while it happens to you

accepts uncertain outcomes and gives up control
to take as it comes
vsto take the ride
  • Informal
6 5.0

Accept what happens calmly and do not worry

faces unknown situations and accepts lack of control

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

to resist
61 3.0

Hold up against stains, heat or storms

How Willing

to dive in
  • Informal
23 3.7
to take the ride
1 7.7
to accept
793 1.0
to go along
144 3.5
to hesitate
318 2.5
to refuse
716 1.7

Surface Forms

take the ride infinitive
taking the ride present participle
takes the ride third person singular
took the ride past
taken the ride past participle

Morphology

take + the + ride

The meaning 'to accept or undergo an experience' is an extended, metaphorical use of the literal combination 'take' (accept/undergo) + 'ride' (a trip), so a learner who knows the words could plausibly infer a figurative sense about undergoing an experience. However, the specific nuance (especially with the definite article 'the' and the sense of accepting uncertain outcomes) is not fully predictable from the parts and may require prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Take the ride comes from the clear image of getting into a car or on a roller coaster: you take a ride and cannot always control where it goes or what will happen. So, take the ride means to 'accept' an experience and go along with it even when the result is uncertain.