to ride off into the sunset
3
6.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
irse felices
- After years of hard work, she felt it was time to ride off into the sunset and enjoy her retirement.
you really need just one or two to work. And then you ride off into the sunset like Massa,
- you really need just one or two to work. And then you ride off into the sunset like Massa,
Examples
-
They ride off into the sunset.
-
I have to ride off into the sunset...
-
And then they ride off into the sunset.
-
You ready to ride off into the sunset?
-
You gonna ride off into the sunset?
-
You ride off into the sunset.
-
I ride off into the sunset.
-
And you know the heroes ride off into the sunset.
-
You're just gonna ride off into the sunset?
-
Cowboys and cowgirls, it's time to ride off into the sunset.
Synonyms
24
3.9
To leave a place by riding a horse, bike, or motorcycle
11
2.7
To go away while on a horse, bike, or motorcycle
1
6.5
Leave a place happily at the end of a story or event
Antonyms
How Satisfying
- Informal
12
6.0
- Informal
3
6.5
20
4.9
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
ride + off + into + the + sunset
The literal parts ('ride' + 'off' + 'into the sunset') transparently convey the idea of leaving or departing, so a B1 learner who knows the words will likely infer that someone is going away. However, the conventionalized nuance of a happy, romantic, or neatly 'concluded' ending is culturally loaded and metaphorical (a film/Western trope) and may not be fully predictable without prior exposure, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Ride off into the sunset comes from old cowboy movies, where the hero would ride his horse into the sunset after saving the town. That picture of leaving at the end of a story is why the phrase means 'to leave in a happy or satisfying way'.