lid

American  

[lid] / lɪd /

noun

1. a removable or hinged cover for closing the opening, usually at the top, of a pot, jar, trunk, etc.; a movable cover.

2. an eyelid.

3. a restraint, ceiling, or curb, as on prices or news.

4. Slang. a hat, cap, or other head covering.

5. (in mosses)

   1. the cover of the capsule; operculum.

   2. the upper section of a pyxidium.

6. Slang. one ounce of marijuana.

---

verb (used with object)

lidded, lidding

1. to supply or cover with a lid.

idioms

1. blow / flip one's lid, to lose control, especially to rage hysterically: Also flip one's wig.

   He nearly flipped his lid over the way they damaged his car.

2. blow the lid off, to expose to public view, especially to reveal something scandalous, illegal, etc.

lid British  

/ lɪd /

noun

1. a cover, usually removable or hinged, for a receptacle

   a saucepan lid

   a desk lid

2. short for eyelid

3. botany another name for operculum

4. slang short for skidlid

5. old-fashioned a quantity of marijuana, usually an ounce

6. informal to raise one's hat as a greeting, etc

7. slang to become crazy or angry

8. informal

   1. to be the final blow to

   2. to curb, prevent, or discourage

9. informal to make startling or spectacular revelations about

---

lid More Idioms  

1. see blow the lid off; flip one's lid; put the lid on.

---

Other Word Forms

• lidded
  adjective
• sublid
  noun
• underlid
  noun
• unlidded
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lid

before 1000; Middle English; Old English hlid; cognate with Dutch, German lid, Old Norse hlith gate, gateway

Explanation

A lid is a top, or a cap — some kind of removable or hinged cover for a container. If you forget to put the lid on your tin of cat food, you may discover that your cat and dog have eaten it all by the end of the day. The lid on your trash can keeps raccoons out of it, and the lid on your travel mug keeps your tea hot for hours. Another lid is your eyelid, the skin that moves over your eyeball like a lid: "Her heavy lids told me she didn't sleep at all." A lid is also slang for a hat or a helmet, and if someone says, "Put a lid on it," they're telling you (somewhat rudely) to quiet down.

Example Sentences

More EV competition and increased U.S. production capacity have kept a lid on pricing.

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

More providers plan to start launching new rockets more often, something that could help keep a lid on prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Higher gas prices will especially hurt middle- and lower-income Americans, potentially putting a lid on consumer spending.

From MarketWatch • May 9, 2026

Sir David was close to home again for this series, which lifted the lid on the teeming activity that can make UK gardens just as fascinating as wilder and more exotic places.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

Shoving aside a stack of unfinished drawings, he placed the box in the center of his desk and took off the lid.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Related Words

• cap
• roof