kite

[kahyt]

noun

1. a light frame covered with some thin material, to be flown in the wind at the end of a long string.

2. any of several small birds of the hawk family Accipitridae that have long, pointed wings, feed on insects, carrion, reptiles, rodents, and birds, and are noted for their graceful, gliding flight.

3. Nautical.,  flying kite.

4. Finance.

   1. a check drawn against uncollected or insufficient funds, as for redepositing, with the intention of creating a false balance in the account by taking advantage of the time lapse required for collection.

   2. a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.

5. a person who preys on others; sharper.

verb (used without object)

kited, kiting 

1. Informal.,  to fly or move with a rapid or easy motion like that of a kite.

2. to obtain money or credit through kites.

verb (used with object)

kited, kiting 

1. to employ (a check or the like) as a kite; to cash or pass (a kite, forged check, etc.).

kite

¹

/ kaɪt /

noun

1. a light frame covered with a thin material flown in the wind at the end of a length of string

2. slang,  an aeroplane

3. (plural) nautical any of various light sails set in addition to the working sails of a vessel

4. any diurnal bird of prey of the genera Milvus, Elanus, etc, typically having a long forked tail and long broad wings and usually preying on small mammals and insects: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc)

5. archaic,  a person who preys on others

6. commerce a negotiable paper drawn without any actual transaction or assets and designed to obtain money on credit, give an impression of affluence, etc

7. See fly 1

8. See high

verb

1. to issue (fictitious papers) to obtain credit or money

2. (tr) to write (a cheque) in anticipation of sufficient funds to cover it

3. (intr) to soar and glide

kite

²

/ kəɪt /

noun

1. a variant spelling of kyte

Other Word Forms

• kiter noun
• kitelike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kite¹

First recorded before 900 kite for def. 2; 1655–65 kite for def. 1; Middle English kyte, Old English cȳta “kite, bittern”; akin to German Kauz “owl”

Word History and Origins

Origin of kite¹

Old English cӯta; related to Middle High German küze owl, Old Norse kӯta to quarrel

Idioms and Phrases

see go fly a kite; high as a kite.

Example Sentences

But this week's developments, including the dropping of other kites being flown - from extra tax on partnerships, and entrepreneurs leaving the UK - injected doubt about the appetite to trade political pain for lower bond yields.

Read more on BBC

At the beginning of the film, Mr. Banks rebuffs his children when they ask him to repair their kite.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, red kite chicks from Spain and Sweden were released in the Chilterns on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border.

Read more on BBC

They will be travelling on kite skis, in which the skier wears a harness that's clipped into a kite that pulls them along.

Read more on Barron's

The border frames an oddly shaped expanse that resembles a shredded kite, with San Pedro and Wilmington dangling from a string at the southern extremities.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• answer 
• memo 
• memorandum 
• message 
• note 
• postcard 
• reply 
• report 

When To Use

What else does kite mean?

In prison slang, a kite is a message or note. Historically, kites were contraband notes passed between prisoners or smuggled out of prison.