hide

¹

[ hahyd ]

verb (used with object)

, hid, hid·den or hid, hid·ing.

1. to conceal from sight; prevent from being seen or discovered:

   Where did she hide her jewels?

   Synonyms: disguise, shroud, veil, cloak, mask, screen

   Antonyms: display, reveal

2. to obstruct the view of; cover up:

   The sun was hidden by the clouds.

3. to conceal from knowledge or exposure; keep secret:

   to hide one's feelings.

   Synonyms: suppress, dissemble, disguise

verb (used without object)

, hid, hid·den or hid, hid·ing.

1. to conceal oneself; lie concealed:

   He hid in the closet.

noun

1. British. a place of concealment for hunting or observing wildlife; hunting blind.

verb phrase

1. to go into or remain in hiding:

   After breaking out of jail, he hid out in a deserted farmhouse.

hide

²

[ hahyd ]

noun

1. the pelt or skin of one of the larger animals (cow, horse, buffalo, etc.), raw or dressed.
2. Informal.
   1. the skin of a human being:

      Get out of here or I'll tan your hide!

   2. safety or welfare:

      He's only worried about his own hide.

3. Australia and New Zealand Informal. impertinence; impudence.

verb (used with object)

, hid·ed, hid·ing.

1. Informal. to administer a beating to; thrash.
2. to protect (a rope, as a boltrope of a sail) with a covering of leather.

hide

³

[ hahyd ]

noun

, Old English Law.

1. a unit of land measurement varying from 60 to 120 acres (24 to 49 hectares) or more, depending upon local usage.

hide

¹

/ haɪd /

noun

1. the skin of an animal, esp the tough thick skin of a large mammal, either tanned or raw
2. informal.
   the human skin
3. informal.
   impudence

verb

1. informal.
   tr to flog

hide

²

/ haɪd /

verb

1. to put or keep (oneself or an object) in a secret place; conceal (oneself or an object) from view or discovery

   to hide from the police

   to hide a pencil

2. tr to conceal or obscure

   the clouds hid the sun

3. tr to keep secret
4. tr to turn (one's head, eyes, etc) away

noun

1. a place of concealment, usually disguised to appear as part of the natural environment, used by hunters, birdwatchers, etc US and Canadian equivalentblind

hide

³

/ haɪd /

noun

1. an obsolete Brit unit of land measure, varying in magnitude from about 60 to 120 acres

Derived Forms

• ˈhideless, adjective
• ˈhider, noun
• ˈhidable, adjective

Other Words From

• hida·ble adjective
• hida·bili·ty noun
• hider noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hide¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hiden, Old English hȳdan; cognate with Old Frisian hūda; akin to Greek keúthein “to hide”; hide ²( def )

Origin of hide²

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hȳd; cognate with Dutch huid, Old Norse hūth, Danish, Swedish hud, Old High German hūt ( German Haut ); akin to Latin cutis “skin,” Greek kýtos “hollow, container”; cutis, hide ¹

Origin of hide³

First recorded before 900; Middle English hide, Old English hīd(e), hīg(i)d “portion of land, family,” from Germanic hīwidō; akin to Latin cīvis “citizen,” Greek keîsthai “to lie down, rest, remain, abide”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hide¹

Old English hӯd; related to Old Norse hūth, Old Frisian hēd, Old High German hūt, Latin cutis skin, Greek kutos; see cuticle

Origin of hide²

Old English hӯdan; related to Old Frisian hēda, Middle Low German hüden, Greek keuthein

Origin of hide³

Old English hīgid; related to hīw family, household, Latin cīvis citizen

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hide nor hair, a trace or evidence, as of something missing: Also hide or hair.

   They didn't find hide nor hair of the murder weapon.

More idioms and phrases containing hide

• cover one's ass (hide)
• tan one's hide

Synonym Study

Hide, conceal, secrete mean to put out of sight or in a secret place. Hide is the general word: to hide one's money or purpose; A dog hides a bone. Conceal, somewhat more formal, is to cover from sight: A rock concealed them from view. Secrete means to put away carefully, in order to keep secret: The spy secreted the important papers.

See skin.

Example Sentences

Tumors sabotage the process that the body's healthy cells use to avoid immune recognition and subsequent attack, allowing cancer to hide from the immune system.

From Science Daily

The family of Brandon Durham, including his 15-year-old daughter who was hiding in a nearby room when her father was killed, have asked for the officer to be fired.

From BBC

Officers found Bates hiding in a field behind bushes.

From Los Angeles Times

The will to stop hiding had awoken in her, he said, because she hadn’t done anything wrong.

From BBC

Her former husband, an ex-police officer, and her lawyer, were handed prison terms of one year and four months, and two years respectively, for hiding evidence to help her evade prosecution.

From BBC

Related Words

• bury
• camouflage
• cover
• disguise
• hole up
• mask
• obscure
• plant
• protect
• shelter
• shield
• smuggle
• stash
• suppress
• tuck away
• withhold