hide
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to conceal from sight; prevent from being seen or discovered.
Where did she hide her jewels?
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to obstruct the view of; cover up.
The sun was hidden by the clouds.
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to conceal from knowledge or exposure; keep secret.
to hide one's feelings.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb phrase
noun
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the pelt or skin of one of the larger animals (cow, horse, buffalo, etc.), raw or dressed.
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Informal.
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the skin of a human being.
Get out of here or I'll tan your hide!
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safety or welfare.
He's only worried about his own hide.
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Australia and New Zealand Informal. impertinence; impudence.
verb (used with object)
-
Informal. to administer a beating to; thrash.
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to protect (a rope, as a boltrope of a sail) with a covering of leather.
idioms
noun
verb
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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
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(tr) to conceal or obscure
the clouds hid the sun
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(tr) to keep secret
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(tr) to turn (one's head, eyes, etc) away
noun
noun
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the skin of an animal, esp the tough thick skin of a large mammal, either tanned or raw
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informal the human skin
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informal impudence
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hide1
First recorded before 900; Middle English hiden, Old English hȳdan; cognate with Old Frisian hūda; akin to Greek keúthein “to hide”; see also 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”; see also 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”
Explanation
You can hide your feelings or you can hide your mom’s birthday present. You can even hide yourself if you need to avoid someone. Whatever it is, when you hide something, you put it out of sight. Hide can mean that you keep something secret, like the way you really feel about your dad’s meatloaf. You can also hide something physical. If you spill juice on your white sofa, you can hide the stain with a pillow. Sometimes people hide also — that means the person stays out of sight. A bankrobber will hide from the police, or you might hide from your mom to avoid doing the dishes.
Vocabulary lists containing hide
Easter Vocabulary
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"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
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"When Cultures Meet"
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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.
See Examples For:
They added logs and woody debris to the water to create deep pools and other places for baby fish to hide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"They tell me to hide things, and to get out of here. When they arrive, they find nothing."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I would totally hide Anne Frank, she reasoned.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The fear is that it might want to hide something.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Once I’m done, I run up to my room to hide.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Barbie hid in a backroom while Peter slammed doors and banged pots and pans to scare off the intruder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
After Muchova won the next two games, Noskova hid her head in a towel as her support box sat and watched in silence.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Shortly after Aang, the Avatar, emerged from the ice that hid him for a century, it was plain to see that this show was its own wonderful, all-ages treat.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Exactly five years later, the time to escape California arrived after a miserable breakup from a three-year relationship with a guy that I hid entirely from my family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Still, she was able to get a glimpse of Beowulf at his desk, chewing on some object that he quickly hid in his pocket.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
While some farmland came within 500 metres of the site, the lab was hidden by forest.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
This time, it would be one she could actually hold in her own hands and it would never be hidden away in a drawer.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Here is the hidden way to trade it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
This hidden genetic diversity may help explain how a population founded by only a handful of snakes survived intense inbreeding, adapted to Guam, and expanded so dramatically.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
“The ruins are less than a mile by walking. We walked farther when we found Leigh the Bard. We have to expect that it will be hidden by protective enchantments. Not to mention—a test.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The moment the sound of raucous singing had hided around the corner, he slipped out of the gate and ran in the opposite direction.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
She has never had a downright bad attack, like this one, therefore we could hide it from the servants and from Miss Annabel, but it couldn't be hided from him.
From The Story of Charles Strange Vol. 2 (of 3) A Novel by Wood, Mrs. Henry
By a friendly Dutchman guided, A Van Eloff or De Vilier, They were promptly trapped and hided, In a manner too familiar.
From Songs Of The Road by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir
"The landlord," added the speaker in his imperfect English, "has entirely hided himself from the Page 30 business."
From The Foundations of Japan Notes Made During Journeys Of 6,000 Miles In The Rural Districts As A Basis For A Sounder Knowledge Of The Japanese People by Scott, J.W. Robertson
She hided my hat—Lina did; but if I'd gone home, straight home, and not gone to her house, then she couldn't have hided it.
From Dotty Dimple at Play by May, Sophie
Tolomeo, the deposed king of Egypt, is hiding out on the island of Cyprus disguised as a shepherd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He returned again in the afternoon, and waited for her to enter the park at about 16:00 GMT before hiding in between two hedges.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Maybe they’re hiding something that they’re ashamed to admit because of who you are, what you put forth in the world.”
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
When Tippy Amundson was in middle school, she read the diary of a teenager hiding from the secret police.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
“So is your mom still hiding from the police?”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
