Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to catch a ride

to catch a ride

14 3.2
To travel in someone else's car as a passenger
  • phrasal verb
  • US
translation icon : pedir que alguien te lleve
  • Can we catch a ride with you guys?
  • catch a ride home
  • catch a ride back
  • catch a ride downtown

And then I had to get on a little boat and catch a ride out to the island to, to start the swim.

Autoplay Next

Examples

Synonyms

to hitch
vsto catch a ride
  • Informal
49 3.9

To travel by getting rides from passing drivers

is broader including any passenger offer not limited to roadside signals
to hitchhike
vsto catch a ride
  • Informal
48 3.9

Travel by getting free rides from passing cars

accepts lifts more generally not only free roadside signals
to thumb a ride
vsto catch a ride
  • Archaic
1 8.2

To get a free ride from a passing car by standing by the road and showing your thumb

uses any offered transport without requiring a finger gesture

How Dependent

to catch a ride
  • US
14 3.2
to drive
∞ 1.0
to cycle
10 1.8
walk
758 1.0

Surface Forms

catch a ride infinitive
catching a ride present participle
catches a ride third person singular
caught a ride past
caught a ride past participle

Morphology

catch + a + ride

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'catch' (to get or obtain) plus 'a ride' (a trip) yields 'to get a trip/lift from someone'. This follows the same productive pattern as 'catch a bus'/'catch a train' and is a common, compositional use that a B1 learner who knows the component words will readily understand.

Etymology

Catch a ride comes from the image of grabbing a passing vehicle: you catch a ride when a car stops and you jump in. That's why it now means 'to get a lift' from someone else.