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

• lidded
  adjective
• sublid
  noun
• underlid
  noun
• 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

Pall Musaev, CEO of the reusable container company Mr. Lid, recently told me he’s seen an uptick in people bringing his products to restaurants.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2024

The Lid I-5 proposal provides affordable housing, with federal funding.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2022

To woo these voters, the Lid Dems say they will put the cost of living at the centre of their election campaign in England.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2022

The Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid 42-Piece Set leaked both before and after running through the dishwasher so we were able to dismiss.

From Slate • Sep. 7, 2018

She hurried past the light and music of the Lid, and finally the Ketterdam harbors came into view, the sights and sounds of the Barrel fading as she neared the water.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• cap
• roof