rid

Rid is an English verb meaning to free someone or something from an unwanted presence, condition, or burden. It is used with an object in the typical construction rid [someone/something] of [something]. Examples include “to rid the house of mice” and “to rid oneself of a bad habit.” The expression get rid of is common in everyday language and often carries a sense of finality or practical removal.

Forms and usage: The base form is rid; the present participle is ridding; the past tense and past participle are rid. The verb is transitive, and it usually requires a direct object that identifies what is being removed or freed. It is not related to the verb ride, though the two words are similar in spelling.

Etymology: Rid is an old English term with cognates in other Germanic languages, historically connected with the idea of freeing or removing something from someone or something. The core sense has remained relatively stable over time.

Grammatical notes: Rid is generally used with a prepositional phrase such as of or from to indicate what is being removed. In some contexts, it can apply to abstract things as well as tangible ones, such as rid a person of guilt or rid a system of corruption.

Other uses: Besides its verb sense, Rid can appear as a surname or place name in certain regions, though these uses are relatively uncommon in standard English. In most writing, rid is treated as a verb and is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence.