kid

¹

[ kid ]

noun

1. Informal. a child or young person.
2. (used as a familiar form of address.)
3. a young goat.
4. leather made from the skin of a kid or goat, used in making shoes and gloves.
5. a glove made from this leather.

verb (used with or without object)

, kid·ded, kid·ding.

1. (of a goat) to give birth to (young).

adjective

1. made of kidskin.
2. Informal. younger:

   his kid sister.

kid

²

[ kid ]

verb (used with object)

, kid·ded, kid·ding.

1. to talk or deal jokingly with; banter; jest with:

   She is always kidded about her accent.

   Synonyms: rib, josh, tease

2. to humbug or fool.

verb (used without object)

, kid·ded, kid·ding.

1. to speak or act deceptively in jest; jest.

Kid

³

[ kid ]

noun

1. Thomas. Kyd, Thomas.

kid

¹

/ kɪd /

noun

1. a small wooden tub

Kid

²

/ kɪd /

noun

1. KidThomas a variant spelling of (Thomas) Kyd

kid

³

/ kɪd /

verb

1. tr to tease or deceive for fun
2. intr to behave or speak deceptively for fun
3. tr to delude or fool (oneself) into believing (something)

   don't kid yourself that no-one else knows

kid

⁴

/ kɪd /

noun

1. the young of a goat or of a related animal, such as an antelope
2. soft smooth leather made from the hide of a kid
3. informal.
   1. a young person; child
   2. modifier younger or being still a child

      kid sister

      kid brother

4. our kid dialect.
   my younger brother or sister

verb

1. (of a goat) to give birth to (young)

Derived Forms

• ˈkiddingly, adverb
• ˈkidˌlike, adjective
• ˈkiddishness, noun

Other Words From

• kiddish adjective
• kiddish·ness noun
• kidlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kid¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English kide, from Old Norse kith

Origin of kid²

First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps special use of kid ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of kid¹

C18: probably variant of kit ¹(in the sense: barrel)

Origin of kid²

C19: probably from kid ¹

Origin of kid³

C12: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse kith, Shetland Islands kidi lamb

Idioms and Phrases

• handle with (kid) gloves
• kidding

Example Sentences

Smith’s gateway to country music when he was a kid was Garth Brooks, whose flamboyant live approach in the ’90s was basically that of a rock star.

From Los Angeles Times

Unlike kids in the United States, hunter-gatherer children in the Congo Basin have often learned how to hunt, identify edible plants and care for babies by the tender age of six or seven.

From Science Daily

A mum with kids requiring refrigerated medicines for cancer rang up with her voice cracking because she could not afford her £5 prepayment top-up and asked to be put onto a credit direct debit.

From BBC

When I was a kid, I thought Manchester United's Ji Sung Park was the best an Asian player could be.

From BBC

For years, smugglers have used Facebook and other platforms to advertise safe passage between countries, often including prices and package deals such as “kids go free”.

From BBC

Related Words

• baby
• boy
• child
• daughter
• girl
• infant
• son
• teenager
• youngster
• youth