bestride

verb

be·​stride bi-ˈstrīd How to pronounce bestride (audio)
bē-
bestrode bi-ˈstrōd How to pronounce bestride (audio)
bē-
 ; bestridden bi-ˈstri-dᵊn How to pronounce bestride (audio)
bē-
 ; bestriding bi-ˈstrī-diŋ How to pronounce bestride (audio)
bē-
Synonyms of bestridenext

transitive verb

1
: to ride, sit, or stand astride : straddle
2
: to tower over : dominate
… the bloated bureaucracy that bestrides us all.—Edward Ney
3
archaic : to stride across

Examples of bestride in a Sentence

a giant that bestrode the river
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a streaming world, where more than half of American homes no longer have a cable subscription, there is no way for a president to rhetorically bestride the narrow world like a Colossus. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 3 July 2023 Humanity bestrides the planet, explores the cosmos, and continues to reshape itself because humans are the world’s most inventive, adaptable animal. — Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024 The Lone Star State is already a literal powerhouse that bestrides domestic energy production. — Dallas Morning News, 15 Mar. 2026 The United States will once again bestride the world like a colossus deterring enemies and making other nations safe from the likes of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. — Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 10 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for bestride

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bestride was before the 12th century

Rhymes for bestride

See All Rhymes for bestride

Browse Nearby Words

bestrewn
bestride
be struck by
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bestride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bestride. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on bestride

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bestride

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All