bestride C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /bɪˈstraɪd/ UK /bɪˈstraɪd/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to sit or stand astride; to dominate The colossus seemed to bestride the entire harbor. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to sit or stand astride; to... straddlemountdominatespanovershadow Word family Related forms strideastride Etymology AI details From Old English bestrīdan ('to mount, straddle'), from be- + strīdan ('to stride'). bestrīdan Old English strīdan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # bestride **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /bɪˈstraɪd/ **IPA (UK):** /bɪˈstraɪd/ ## Meanings 1. to sit or stand astride; to dominate ## Examples - The colossus seemed to bestride the entire harbor. ## Synonyms - straddle - mount - dominate - span - overshadow ## Related Forms - stride - astride ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bestrīdan - Root: strīdan ## Etymology From Old English bestrīdan ('to mount, straddle'), from be- + strīdan ('to stride'). ## AI Etymology Bestride comes from Old English bestrīdan ('to mount, straddle'), from be- + strīdan ('to stride'). The historical trail runs through bestrīdan in Old English and strīdan in Old English. Morphologically, bestride is transparent: it draws on Old English bestrīdan ('to mount, straddle'), from be- + strīdan ('to stride'). Used as a verb, bestride now means "sit or stand astride; to dominate", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as stride and astride. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown