kit
1 Americannoun
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a set or collection of tools, supplies, instructional matter, etc., for a specific purpose.
a first-aid kit; a sales kit.
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the case for containing these.
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such a case and its contents.
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a set of materials or parts from which something can be assembled.
a model car made from a kit.
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Informal. a set, lot, or collection of things or persons.
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a wooden tub, pail, etc., usually circular.
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Chiefly British. a costume or outfit of clothing, especially for a specific purpose.
ski kit; dancing kit; battle kit.
verb (used with object)
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to package or make available in a kit.
a new model airplane that has just been kitted for the hobbyist.
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Chiefly British. to outfit or equip (often followed by out orup ).
idioms
noun
noun
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a set of tools, supplies, construction materials, etc, for use together or for a purpose
a first-aid kit
a model aircraft kit
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the case or container for such a set
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a set of pieces of equipment ready to be assembled
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( as modifier )
kit furniture
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-
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clothing and other personal effects, esp those of a traveller or soldier
safari kit
battle kit
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informal clothing in general (esp in the phrase get one's kit off )
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a flax basket
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informal everything or everybody
noun
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an informal or diminutive name for kitten
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a cub of various small mammals, such as the ferret or fox
abbreviation
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of kit1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English kit(te), kyt(t) “wooden bucket or tub,” from Middle Dutch kitte “jug, tankard”
Origin of kit2
First recorded in 1510–20; origin uncertain
Origin of kit3
First recorded in 1555–65; shortening of kitten ( def. )
Explanation
A collection of things used for a certain purpose is a kit, like a first aid kit with bandages and aspirin, or a tool kit with hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches. There are kits meant for camping, taking care of your cat, and painting landscapes. A group of items needed to build or assemble something is also a kit, like a model airplane kit. The case you keep these things in can also be called a kit. A completely different sort of kit is a baby animal like a fox or beaver kit. A set of drums — bass, tom, snare and cymbals — is commonly called a "drum kit."
Vocabulary lists containing kit
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:
Vlasenko went to grab his tool kit to unscrew the radio—their lifeline to the outside world—from its bracket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
She drove to a David’s Bridal in Chico with a friend to buy a wedding dress preservation kit, which involved packaging up the dress and shipping it off to be cleaned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
The 39-year-old, who lives in Hoorn with his wife and five-year-old son, started preparing his kit a few years ago.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Velicovich advised the company and became a shareholder, along with his fellow first-aid kit distributors, Sinensky and Vintfeld.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
He had a warm, sleepy skunk kit in a pouch around his neck, and he had a boy—maybe even a friend—visiting his room, waiting to research skunks with him.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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And that’s when the idea for “Pinball Wizard” came to the songwriter, who used to play pinball at the local arcade with Cohn and The Who’s producer Kit Lambert.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
Kit & Ace eventually closed all its U.S. stores and was acquired by a Canadian retailer in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Kit Harington and Mirren Mack star in a screen version of the classic novel that, in its stagy artifice, follows a familiar pattern among recent period pieces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Teacher Kieron Fisher, who lives in Newbury, Berkshire, includes vegetables in meals his six-year-old twins Kit and Ollie already enjoy, such as curries and spaghetti Bolognese.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
I don’t say that in Iran, Kit Kats aren’t broken into bars; they’re one flat square.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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After organizing the samples by species and caste, the specimens were transported to KIT for high throughput micro CT imaging.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
"With the setup at KIT, we scanned 2,000 specimens in a single week."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
Peter Kim of KIT Trading, part of Vulpes Investment Management, manages a $10 million cryptocurrency arbitrage operation.
From Reuters ● Apr. 2, 2018
"This is really the final countdown," says Guido Drexlin, a physicist at KIT and co-spokesperson for the roughly 140 researchers working on the project.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 29, 2017
"Like, 'Hey, Eleanor, KIT, LYLAS, stay sweet, Park.'"
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
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"We more or less went voluntarily," the former careworker, 63, told AFP at a community centre kitted out with stretcher beds for a handful of evacuees, including herself and husband Ulrich.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
They came of age when Orlando Bloom’s Legolas, kitted out in a blond wig, armor and prosthetic pointy ears, was a teen heartthrob.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
The characters are kitted out for runway battles worthy of “Paris Is Burning” and the TV series “Pose.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
The agreement comes after it was revealed that the Scotland squad will be kitted out in tailored suits for their World Cup return.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
Fortunately for me the officer hearing the charge was not so impetuous and gave me the opportunity to explain that as a territorial I had never been fully kitted out; he dismissed the charge.
From Coming of Age: 1939-1946 by John Cox
Another parent, Rebecca Curtis, said kitting out her three boys aged under 10 was costly but they felt "proud of the badge".
From BBC ● May 1, 2023
More recently, she’s seen how dedicated young collectors are making their homes hospitable to plant life, kitting out their living rooms with grow lights and foggers.
From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2019
Gorder warns against the “junk drawer” effect, where owners try to save by kitting out their rentals with dated furniture and hand-me-downs.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 16, 2018
A second researcher, cell biologist Anthony Vecchiarelli, saved more than $10,000 while kitting out his lab with free peristaltic pumps, circulating water baths, slide warmers and consumables.
From Nature ● Feb. 6, 2018
An' the monkey an' the kitting come too—a-spyin' out the land as you may say.
From The Opal Serpent by Fergus Hume
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.