lid

American  

[lid] / lɪd /

noun

1. a removable or hinged cover for closing the opening, usually at the top, of a pot, jar, trunk, etc.; a movable cover.

2. an eyelid.

3. a restraint, ceiling, or curb, as on prices or news.

4. Slang. a hat, cap, or other head covering.

5. (in mosses)

   1. the cover of the capsule; operculum.

   2. the upper section of a pyxidium.

6. Slang. one ounce of marijuana.

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verb (used with object)

lidded, lidding

1. to supply or cover with a lid.

idioms

1. blow / flip one's lid, to lose control, especially to rage hysterically: Also flip one's wig.

   He nearly flipped his lid over the way they damaged his car.

2. blow the lid off, to expose to public view, especially to reveal something scandalous, illegal, etc.

lid British  

/ lɪd /

noun

1. a cover, usually removable or hinged, for a receptacle

   a saucepan lid

   a desk lid

2. short for eyelid

3. botany another name for operculum

4. slang short for skidlid

5. old-fashioned a quantity of marijuana, usually an ounce

6. informal to raise one's hat as a greeting, etc

7. slang to become crazy or angry

8. informal

   1. to be the final blow to

   2. to curb, prevent, or discourage

9. informal to make startling or spectacular revelations about

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lid More Idioms  

1. see blow the lid off; flip one's lid; put the lid on.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sublid
  noun
• underlid
  noun
• lidded
  adjective
• unlidded
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lid

before 1000; Middle English; Old English hlid; cognate with Dutch, German lid, Old Norse hlith gate, gateway

Explanation

A lid is a top, or a cap — some kind of removable or hinged cover for a container. If you forget to put the lid on your tin of cat food, you may discover that your cat and dog have eaten it all by the end of the day. The lid on your trash can keeps raccoons out of it, and the lid on your travel mug keeps your tea hot for hours. Another lid is your eyelid, the skin that moves over your eyeball like a lid: "Her heavy lids told me she didn't sleep at all." A lid is also slang for a hat or a helmet, and if someone says, "Put a lid on it," they're telling you (somewhat rudely) to quiet down.

Example Sentences

Here, Realtor.com lifts the lid on Williams’ many properties—including the luxurious abode where she has been prepping for her on-court return and the elegant home she shared with her sister for many years.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

“I put my hand on my lid, I look down, and I close my eyes,” Cervantes said of his superstition.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

A fastback design calls for a roughly diagonal profile and backlight glass sloping from the trailing edge of the roofline to the deck lid, a feature nowhere in sight.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

Usually, the central bank would seek to hold or raise interest rates when inflation is on the rise, to keep a lid on price increases.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

The many bolts were worked loose by the pressure of the hydrogen gas building up below the lid.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• cap
• roof