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.
Customs officials recently found 20 undeclared inflatable dinghies hidden between mattress pads at a Turkish-Bulgarian border crossing.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
She slept in parks away from the centre of the city to try and to stay hidden, and says no rough sleeper would turn down a bed if it comes with the right support.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“They possess this hidden skill that we’re overlooking from this bias against them,” said Scott Bentley, an assistant professor of human-resource management at Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations who co-wrote the report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Home inspectors don’t open up walls and remove flooring to check for hidden defects in a home, he noted.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 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.
