hidden
Americanadjective
verb
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hidden
First recorded in 1540–50, for the adjective
Explanation
Hidden things can't be seen — they're concealed in some way. A hidden video camera inside a teddy bear might secretly be keeping an eye on a new babysitter. People with hidden feelings don't let their sadness, anger, and joy show; and hidden clues in a treasure hunt can't be easily found. Hidden things can be obscured deliberately (like hidden eggs at an Easter egg hunt), or simply out of view or undetected by you. Hidden is the past participle of hide, from the Old English hydan, which means "to hide or conceal," but also "to bury a corpse."
Vocabulary lists containing hidden
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I do not require the personality socks to remain hidden.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Here’s the hidden marketing challenge: The entry-level tech tier is dying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
It was like being spoken to by God, an impression aided by the fact that Ramsey, hidden in a small booth near the press box, was heard but never seen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
The parents of a teenage girl with a rare form of childhood cancer say the hidden costs of caring for their daughter have left them in fear of losing their home.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
I was up on the board beside Dad with half an old bedsheet wrapped around my middle, hidden under my shirt.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
