Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense rids, present participle riddinglanguage note: The form rid is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle of the verb.
1.
See get rid of sth
2.
See get rid of sb
3. verb
If you rid a place or person of something undesirable or unwanted, you succeed in removing it completely from that place or person.
The proposals are an attempt to rid the country of political corruption. [VERB noun + of]
The new vaccine may rid the world of one of its most terrifying diseases. [V n of n]
Synonyms: free, clear, deliver, relieve More Synonyms of rid
4. verb
If you ridyourselfof something you do not want, you take action so that you no longer have it or are no longer affected by it.
Why couldn't he ever rid himself of those thoughts, those worries? [V pron-refl + of]
...the country's efforts to rid itself of poverty and hunger. [V pron-refl of n]
5. adjective
If you are rid of someone or something that you did not want or that caused problems for you, they are no longer with you or causing problems for you.
The family had sought a way to be rid of her and the problems she had caused them. [+ of]
6.
See be well rid of sb
rid in British English
(rɪd)
verbWord forms: rids, ridding, rid or ridded(transitive)
1. (foll by of)
to relieve or deliver from something disagreeable or undesirable; make free (of)
to rid a house of mice
2. get rid of
Derived forms
ridder (ˈridder)
noun
Word origin
C13 (meaning: to clear land): from Old Norse rythja; related to Old High German riutan to clear land
rid in American English1
(rɪd)
verb transitiveWord forms: rid or ˈridded, ˈridding
1.
to free, clear, relieve, or disencumber, as of something undesirable
usually with of
to rid oneself of superstitions
2. Obsolete
to save or deliver, as from danger, difficulty, etc.; rescue (from, out of, etc.)
Idioms:
be rid of
get rid of
Word origin
ME ridden, earlier ruden < ON rythja, to clear (land), akin to OE ryddan, OHG riuten < IE *reudh- < base *reu-, to tear up, dig out > rip1, rug
rid in American English2
(rɪd)
verb intransitive, verb transitive
Archaic
ride
Examples of 'rid' in a sentence
rid
The first priority must be to rid the road of diesel cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The capital is well rid of him.
The Sun (2016)
The idea that modernising the railways depends on getting rid of guards is ludicrous.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Everyone wants to get rid of him.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So at some point it makes sense to get rid of it.
The Sun (2016)
He has to get rid of this guy inside three rounds.
The Sun (2016)
They want rid of our hooligans.
The Sun (2016)
We'd be well rid of the party they supported, but not of them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They were just trying to get rid of the day.
The Sun (2012)
In my opinion the world is well rid of him.
The Sun (2008)
You only get rid of it completely by reassurance.
The Sun (2010)
You may think you got rid of something but it can come back to bite you.
The Sun (2008)
We must therefore get rid of this turbulence.
The Sun (2010)
The reform is needed to get rid of the notion of the safe seat.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But from the sound of how he has changed you are well rid of him.
The Sun (2011)
In smaller gardens it is often a good idea to get rid of grass completely.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Just do something to get rid of that flaky skin around your nose and brows.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We want to get rid of the bureaucracy they face in the classroom.
The Sun (2014)
Red tape means it now takes a year to get rid of them.
The Sun (2011)
So they are as strong as we are that we are getting rid of corruption within the game.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Tell him that this makes you feel second best and ask him to get rid of her clothes at least.
The Sun (2013)
Because we get rid of England managers as a matter of meaningless habit.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Let's get rid of the place altogether.
The Sun (2007)
I actually do not have a problem with him getting rid of managers so frequently.
The Sun (2013)
Instead, the emboldened demonstrators will now push to rid the country of the remnants of the old regime.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
I'm having to get rid of my house.
The Sun (2011)
It's good to move house, get rid of the baggage and move on.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They are howling for their family who got rid of them - sometimes for good reasons, sometimes for rubbish reasons.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
rid
British English: rid ADJECTIVE
If you are rid of someone or something that you did not want or that caused problems for you, they are no longer with you or causing problems for you.
The family had sought a way to be rid of her and the problems she had caused them.
American English: rid
Brazilian Portuguese: livre
Chinese: 摆脱了的
European Spanish: libre
French: débarrassé
German: los
Italian: sbarazzato
Japanese: 解放される
Korean: ~을 벗어나다
European Portuguese: livre
Latin American Spanish: verse librado
All related terms of 'rid'
hagride
to worry or distress (a person)
be rid of
to be freed from or relieved of (something undesirable )
get rid of
to relieve or free oneself of (something or someone unpleasant or undesirable )
get rid of sb
If you get rid of someone who is causing problems for you or who you do not like , you do something to prevent them affecting you any more, for example by making them leave .
get rid of sth
When you get rid of something that you do not want or do not like , you take action so that you no longer have it or suffer from it.
be well rid of sb
If you say that someone is well rid of someone, you think it is good that the person has gone because you did not like them or you think they caused a lot of problems .
Chinese translation of 'rid'
rid
(rɪd)
Word forms:ptpprid
vt
to rid sb/sth of sth使某人/某物摆(擺)脱(脫)某事物 (shǐ mǒurén/mǒuwù bǎituō mǒushìwù)
to get rid of sth/sb[smell, dirt, car etc]摆(擺)脱(脫)某物/某人 (bǎituō mǒuwù/mǒurén)
to be rid of sth/sb摆(擺)脱(脫)某事物/某人 (bǎituō mǒushìwù/mǒurén)
(verb)
Definition
to relieve (oneself) or make a place free of (something undesirable)
an attempt to rid the country of corruption
Synonyms
free
It will free us of a whole lot of debt.
clear
We called in a plumber to clear our blocked sink.
deliver
Mercifully, I was delivered from that pain.
relieve
He felt relieved of a burden.
purge
They voted to purge the party of `hostile and anti-party elements'.
lighten
unburden
The human touch is one of the surest ways of unburdening stresses.
disabuse
make free
disembarrass
disencumber
disburden
idiom
See get rid of something or someone
Additional synonyms
in the sense of clear
Definition
to make or form (a path) by removing obstructions
We called in a plumber to clear our blocked sink.
Synonyms
unblock,
unclog,
free,
loosen,
extricate,
disengage,
open,
disentangle
in the sense of deliver
Definition
to release or rescue (from captivity or danger)
Mercifully, I was delivered from that pain.
Synonyms
release,
free,
save,
rescue,
loose,
discharge,
liberate,
acquit,
redeem,
ransom,
emancipate
in the sense of disburden
Synonyms
relieve,
free,
ease,
diminish,
discharge,
alleviate,
unload,
lighten,
unburden,
disencumber,
take a load off your mind
Synonyms of 'rid'
rid
Explore 'rid' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of purge
Definition
to rid (something) of undesirable qualities
They voted to purge the party of `hostile and anti-party elements'.
Synonyms
rid,
clear,
cleanse,
strip,
empty,
void
in the sense of relieve
Definition
to free (someone) from an obligation
He felt relieved of a burden.
Synonyms
free,
release,
deliver,
discharge,
exempt,
unburden,
disembarrass,
disencumber
in the sense of unburden
The human touch is one of the surest ways of unburdening stresses.