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

It has become fashionable for young people to dress up in Qing dynasty costumes although their long silk robes often fail to hide the other big trend – chunky white trainers.

From BBC

A wholly unexpected focus on those modest and hidden internal body parts in his neck insinuates Jerome’s interior anguish, an emotional experience that cannot be seen inside his head.

From Los Angeles Times

Force trustee Rob Gray said this was causing a "hidden pollution scandal" that was having a "public health risk and environmental impact".

From BBC

All sides have been accused of hiding some facts and figures which leaves people guessing what is going on inside this still somewhat opaque industry.

From BBC

Sometimes scammers reveal themselves during video calls, while other times they remain hidden, relying solely on audio.

From BBC

Related Words

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