hide

¹

[hahyd]

verb (used with object)

hid, hidden, hid, hiding. 

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, hidden, hid, hiding. 

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. hide out,  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)

hided, hiding 

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 /

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 a pencil

   to hide from the police

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

hide

²

/ 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

³

/ haɪd /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• hidable adjective
• hidability noun
• hider noun
• hideless adjective

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

Origin of hide²

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

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

Others are hidden in groves of trees or camouflaged within thick grasses.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In the future, the same approach could help improve GPS precision, enhance MRI brain scans, and even reveal hidden underground structures.

Read more on Science Daily

Alongside the main stages that host major acts, organisers said there would be more than 50 hidden venues within the festival's themed districts.

Read more on BBC

Dozens of the suspects are thought to be members of a faction from the Pará state who are currently hiding in Rio de Janeiro.

Read more on BBC

Add to that the manor’s soon-to-be-revealed secret passages, to say nothing of a fortune in hidden jewels, and we have all the makings of a classic “old dark house” mystery.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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