MEANING
1. To stand or sit astride something, with a leg on either side.
2. To occupy a commanding or dominant position across a field, institution, or situation.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- bestride a horse
- bestride a fallen trunk
On the page
He bestrode the fallen trunk to reach the rope beyond it.
The rider bestrode the restless horse without tightening the reins.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- bestride
- Past tense
- bestrode
- Past participle
- bestridden
- Present participle
- bestriding
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- bestride
- Present continuous
- am/is/are bestriding
- Present perfect
- have/has bestridden
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been bestriding
- Past
- bestrode
- Past continuous
- was/were bestriding
- Past perfect
- had bestridden
- Past perfect continuous
- had been bestriding
- Future
- will bestride
- Future continuous
- will be bestriding
- Future perfect
- will have bestridden
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been bestriding
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: bestride; bestrides; bestrode; bestridden; bestriding Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: bestrides.
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