kid

¹

[kid]

noun

1. Informal.,  a child or young person.

2. (used as a familiar form of address.)

3. a young goat.

4. leather made from the skin of a kid or goat, used in making shoes and gloves.

5. a glove made from this leather.

verb (used with or without object)

kidded, kidding 

1. (of a goat) to give birth to (young).

adjective

1. made of kidskin.

2. Informal.,  younger.

   his kid sister.

kid

²

[kid]

verb (used with object)

kidded, kidding 

1. to talk or deal jokingly with; banter; jest with.

   She is always kidded about her accent.

   Synonyms: rib, josh, tease

2. to humbug or fool.

verb (used without object)

kidded, kidding 

1. to speak or act deceptively in jest; jest.

Kid

³

[kid]

noun

1. Thomas. Kyd, Thomas.

kid

¹

/ kɪd /

noun

1. the young of a goat or of a related animal, such as an antelope

2. soft smooth leather made from the hide of a kid

3. informal

   1. a young person; child

   2. (modifier) younger or being still a child

      kid brother

      kid sister

4. dialect,  my younger brother or sister

verb

1. (of a goat) to give birth to (young)

kid

²

/ kɪd /

verb

1. (tr) to tease or deceive for fun

2. (intr) to behave or speak deceptively for fun

3. (tr) to delude or fool (oneself) into believing (something)

   don't kid yourself that no-one else knows

Kid

³

/ kɪd /

noun

1. a variant spelling of (Thomas) Kyd

kid

⁴

/ kɪd /

noun

1. a small wooden tub

Other Word Forms

• kiddish adjective
• kiddishness noun
• kidlike adjective
• kidder noun
• kiddingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of kid¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English kide, from Old Norse kith

Origin of kid²

First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps special use of kid ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of kid¹

C12: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse kith, Shetland Islands kidi lamb

Origin of kid²

C19: probably from _kid ¹

Origin of kid³

C18: probably variant of _kit ¹ (in the sense: barrel)

Idioms and Phrases

• handle with (kid) gloves
• kidding

Example Sentences

In recent years, Lego has cultivated a devoted base of adult fans, who might not have been able to afford the pricey Danish kits as kids but now come armed with fervor and disposable income.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"The kids I've worked with here are some of the most lovely people I've met ever in my life and it's really inspiring."

Read more on BBC

He was bullied at school for what other kids saw as his large "elephant" head.

Read more on BBC

Los Angeles Unified School District officials said that all schools will open as usual, but parents should allow extra time to get kids to class.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jimenez, who lives in the mobile home park along the same road, approached the officers to “tell them that there’s kids that are coming out to wait for the bus,” according to his lawyers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• baby 
• boy 
• child 
• daughter 
• girl 
• infant 
• son 
• teenager 
• youngster 
• youth