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in a measured or pompous manner. Mars in the middle of the shining shield Is graved, and strides along the liquid field. Dryden.

Characterized by harshness; grating; shrill. "A strident voice." Thackeray.

side, as a man when on horseback; with the legs stretched wide apart; astraddle. Placed astride upon the bars of the palisade. Sir W. Scott. Glasses with horn bows sat astride on his nose. Longfellow.

To stand or sit with anything between the legs, or with the legs astride; to stand over That horse that thou so often hast bestrid. Shak. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus. Shak.

To surpass in striding.

To stride over or beyond.

One who rides over a post road to carry the mails. Bancroft.

Astride; with a part on each side; -- used specif. in designating the position of an army with the wings separated by some line of demarcation, as a river or road.

In a straddling position; astride; bestriding; as, to sit astraddle a horse.

To bestride.

imp. & p. p. of Bestride.

Of enormous size; gigantic; huge; as, a colossal statue. "A colossal stride." Motley.

n antiquity, as the Colossus of Nero in Rome, the Colossus of Apollo at Rhodes. He doth bestride the narrow world Like a colossus. Shak.

Overlapping each other; -- said of leaves whose bases are folded so as to overlap and bestride the leaves within or above them, as in the iris.

Indicating haughtiness; as, a haughty carriage. Satan, with vast and haughty strides advanced, Came towering. Milton.

me or athletic sport in which the participants cover as much ground as possible by a hop, stride, and jump in succession. Addison.

To sit astride of; to bestride. Shak.

rated by unworthy or unjust treatment, by a mean action, or by a degrading accusation. He strides indignant, and with haughty cries To single fight the fairy prince defies. Tickell.

An easy gait, consisting of long running strides or leaps. [U.S.] The mustang goes rollicking ahead, with the eternal lope, . . . a mixture of two or three gaits, as easy as the motions of a crade. T. B. Thorpe.

on eyes,... mincing as they go. Is. iii. 16. I 'll... turn two mincing steps Into a manly stride. Shak.