Showing results for "kite"

• a variation of kyte.

kite

American  

[kahyt] / kaɪt /

noun

kites plural

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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 British  

/ kəɪt /

noun

1. a variant spelling of kyte

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kite Idioms  

1. see go fly a kite; high as a kite.

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• kiter
  noun
• kitelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kites
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kite

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”

Explanation

A kite is a diamond-shaped flying toy on a string that's usually made of fabric or paper. If someone tells you "to go fly a kite," they want to get rid of you. If you follow their directions, however, you will end up having fun. When you fly a kite, you unspool your string as the kite catches a breeze and rises higher and higher in the air. Kites were first flown in China, most likely around the fifth century BCE. Another kind of kite is the small hawk famous in ancient Egyptian mythology as the animal form taken by Isis when she brought the dead back to life. The toy kite is named after the bird, since they both soar through the air.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kite kites kited kiting

Every summer since 2009, residents have gathered on this hill for a kite festival, held on land they say has been partly lost after being confiscated by settlers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

Davies said fledglings would "glide like a kite" once they lost their fluff and got their primary feathers, and were shown the ropes by the older generation.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Another series, “City Island: USA!,” is a special of six shorts, following Watt, a light bulb, and his best friend, Windy, a kite.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

The staff at Clockshop gave us a few kite designs they suggested we consider.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

At last I see her coming, a red and white shape of cloth, like a kite, walking at the steady pace we’ve all learned to keep.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

As the afternoon wears on, the wind begins to fade and the kites slowly drift back to earth.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

As brightly coloured kites climb above Burin, a Palestinian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, children race across a sun-baked hillside, watching their creations soar into the sky.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

My wildlife checklist grew: red kites, black-winged kites, common buzzards, golden eagles, Spanish imperial eagles, a goshawk, three types of owl, two kinds of vulture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

Targeted species include eagles, red kites, peregrine falcons, hen harriers, goshawks and barn owls.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

Basel and Muhammad had learned how to make kites from the Mahasreh boys before they stopped talking to us.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

And then he saw Moss in single coverage and kited that beautiful touchdown pass to put the Redskins ahead again.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 22, 2012

When he pocketed the kited check after Cooper discovered it, I thought for a moment that he might take pity on his fellow partner.

From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2012

Thirty years ago he first tried the Sunday supplement idea with a company called Associated Sunday Magazines, but it failed miserably for various reasons when the War kited the cost of newsprint.

From Time Magazine Archive

From there on the trail followed by the Meadmen was a maze of 16 interlocked companies whose assets were kited back and forth with the stroke of a pen.

From Time Magazine Archive

A single hawk, its wingtips spread like black fingers, kited over the school, and suddenly I saw something: a gift.

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

In the late nineteen-eighties, a few years before Moore discovered kiting, Don Montague started his own experiments in aerodynamics.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 13, 2019

Kite clubs around Seattle and Whidbey Island can help you get involved in group events — or check our list of top kiting spots and go solo.

From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2016

In the early 1990’s, Bankers Trust Company suspected that Madoff and a friend of his named Norman Levy had been kiting checks.

From Forbes ● Sep. 26, 2014

But otherwise he consistently skirts the sublime, whether in the oceanic washes of Open Up Your Door, Tonight the Streets Are Ours' breezy hula, or hallucinogenic kiting tune Don't Stare At The Sun.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 15, 2013

About daybreak we passed through Hell Gate, with a kiting breeze, and were pointing for Whitestone, where we proposed to show the following night.

From A Pirate of Parts by Neville, Richard

Related Words

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