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definitions

kid

1
[kid]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR kid ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with or without object), kid·ded, kid·ding.

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

adjective

made of kidskin.
Informal. younger: his kid sister.

Origin of kid

1
1150–1200; Middle English kide < Old Norse kith
Related formskid·dish, adjectivekid·dish·ness, nounkid·like, adjective

kid

2
[kid]Informal.

verb (used with object), kid·ded, kid·ding.

to talk or deal jokingly with; banter; jest with: She is always kidded about her accent.
to humbug or fool.

verb (used without object), kid·ded, kid·ding.

to speak or act deceptively in jest; jest.

Origin of kid

2
First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps special use of kid1
Related formskid·der, nounkid·ding·ly, adverb

Synonyms for kid

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR kid ON THESAURUS.COM
1. tease, josh, rib.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for kidding

joke, bother, tease, pretend, delude, flimflam, rag, razz, jest, jape, hoax, josh, banter, cozen, gull, jolly, dupe, trick, beguile, bamboozle

Examples from the Web for kidding

Contemporary Examples of kidding

Historical Examples of kidding

  • Then you're kidding about that horse going to start in the Thornton Stakes.

    Old Man Curry

    Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan

  • Say, mister, I was just kidding about being one of Gore's men.

    In the Orbit of Saturn

    Roman Frederick Starzl

  • Who do you think you're kidding, Bev, you sanctimonious hypocrite—me?

    Masters of Space

    Edward Elmer Smith

  • Well, I'd like to know what else you'd call it, kidding yourself along like that.

  • If you'll tell me what he said, maybe I'll be able to tell you whether or not I think he was kidding.

    Out Like a Light

    Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for kidding

kid

1

noun

the young of a goat or of a related animal, such as an antelope
soft smooth leather made from the hide of a kid
informal
  1. a young person; child
  2. (modifier)younger or being still a childkid brother; kid sister
our kid Liverpool dialect my younger brother or sister

verb kids, kidding or kidded

(of a goat) to give birth to (young)
Derived Formskiddishness, nounkidlike, adjective

Word Origin for kid

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

kid

2

verb kids, kidding or kidded (sometimes foll by on or along) informal

(tr) to tease or deceive for fun
(intr) to behave or speak deceptively for fun
(tr) to delude or fool (oneself) into believing (something)don't kid yourself that no-one else knows
Derived Formskiddingly, adverb

Word Origin for kid

C19: probably from kid 1

kid

3

noun

a small wooden tub

Word Origin for kid

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

Kid

noun

a variant spelling of (Thomas) Kyd
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for kidding

kid

n.

c.1200, "the young of a goat," from a Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse kið "young goat"), from Proto-Germanic *kiðjom (cf. Old High German kizzi, German kitze, Danish and Swedish kid). Extended meaning of "child" first recorded as slang 1590s, established in informal usage by 1840s. Applied to skillful young thieves and pugilists since at least 1812. Kid stuff "something easy" is from 1913 (The phrase was in use about that time in reference to vaudeville acts or advertisements featuring children, and to children-oriented features in newspapers). Kid glove "a glove made of kidskin leather" is from 1680s; sense of "characterized by wearing kid gloves," therefore "dainty, delicate" is from 1856.

kid

v.

"tease playfully," 1839, earlier, in thieves' cant, "to coax, wheedle, hoax" (1811), probably from kid (n.), via notion of "treat as a child, make a kid of." Related: Kidded; kidding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with kidding

kidding

see all joking (kidding) aside; no kidding.

kid

In addition to the idioms beginning with kid

  • kid around
  • kid gloves
  • kid stuff
  • kid the pants off

also see:

  • handle with (kid) gloves

Also seekidding.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.