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.
Spark can also scan emails for potentially hidden updates, create Google Docs using Google Meet notes, and more.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
Fifpro - the global representative organisation for professional footballers - said the players were filmed on Vlachovsky's camera hidden in a backpack, and the youngest was aged 17.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The hidden number inside the envelope would finally allow him to decode his team's results.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
These hidden forces are driving the runaway stock-market rally.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
It was hidden and silent, but it was ready to attack the minute I left myself exposed.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
