ride shotgun
To accompany the driver of a vehicle on a journey as an armed escortTo accompany the driver of a vehicle on a journey as an armed escort (originally with a shotgun); (by extension) to accompany someone in order to assist and protect.
Meaning
3 senses(US, idiomatic)To accompany the driver of a vehicle on a journey as an armed escort (originally with a shotgun); (by extension) to accompany someone in order to assist and protect.
He attended the meeting to ride shotgun for the sales team, in case anyone had a technical question.
(US, broadly, idiomatic, slang)To ride in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, next to the driver.
When both kids want to ride shotgun with Mom, they’ll just have to take turns.
auf dem Beifahrersitz mitfahren
(US, broadly, idiomatic, slang)To supervise a process and watch for any risks.
Examples
4 sentencesI'll ride shotgun.
ruЯ поеду на переднем сиденье. — Selena777
Tom was riding shotgun.
Tom rode shotgun.
Tom's riding shotgun.
Translations
3 languagesOrigin
Possibly from early-20th-century depictions in books and films of the 19th-century practicPossibly from early-20th-century depictions in books and films of the 19th-century practice of a person armed with a rifle or shotgun riding next to a stagecoach driver to provide protection from bandits, etc.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
rides shotgun, riding shotgun, rode shotgun, ridden shotgun| Base form | ride shotgun · to ride shotgun |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | rides shotgun |
| Present participle | riding shotgun |
| Past simple | rode shotgun |
| Past participle | ridden shotgun |
irregular · Lesson
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle