lid
Americannoun
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lids
plural
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a removable or hinged cover for closing the opening, usually at the top, of a pot, jar, trunk, etc.; a movable cover.
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an eyelid.
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a restraint, ceiling, or curb, as on prices or news.
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Slang. a hat, cap, or other head covering.
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(in mosses)
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the cover of the capsule; operculum.
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the upper section of a pyxidium.
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Slang. one ounce of marijuana.
verb (used with object)
idioms
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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.
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blow the lid off, to expose to public view, especially to reveal something scandalous, illegal, etc.
noun
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a cover, usually removable or hinged, for a receptacle
a saucepan lid
a desk lid
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short for eyelid
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botany another name for operculum
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slang short for skidlid
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old-fashioned a quantity of marijuana, usually an ounce
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informal to raise one's hat as a greeting, etc
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slang to become crazy or angry
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informal
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to be the final blow to
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to curb, prevent, or discourage
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informal to make startling or spectacular revelations about
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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:
This intense dispersion beneath the surface has helped to keep a lid on volatility at the index level.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Markets expect more rate increases than Goldman strategists, who said limited pressure from nonfood and energy prices will keep a lid on central-bank tightening.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Gold futures posted their third decline in four sessions as the U.S. dollar gained and buoyant U.S. yields kept a lid on demand for the metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Its stars form a shape that resembles a teapot, including a handle, lid, and spout.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Very carefully, he lifted the lid of the box and peered inside.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Angelenos also should ensure the lids of their trash bins are closed and block any places around their homes where fleas can enter or hide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
It had somehow learned to peel off the bottles’ lids and gulp the cream down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The pink, mouse-like creatures lived in craters covered by dustbin lids - the lids' noisy "clang" gave the show its name.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
One of the quiet tragedies of the potluck is that perfectly good food often remains trapped in its travel container — lids half removed, plastic corners fogged with condensation.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
He lifted the lids of the pots and sniffed the food inside, but without heart for the matter.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Everything Sprouts said Friday that it was recalling 5 oz. lidded plastic containers of alfalfa sprouts that were distributed after May 26.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
In the kitchen, hand-carved ceramic birds, whales, elephants and owls look out from the counters, surrounded by lidded cache pots and heavy candlestick holders that feel good in your hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
The name “water bath canning” refers to a crucial part of the process: submerging lidded jars in a bath of boiling water.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2023
Auctioneers originally thought the lidded vase was from the 20th Century but now believe it to be a "superb quality" 18th Century creation from the Qianlong period.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2023
Its massive head rose above the waves on a long white neck that gave way to smooth brown scales, ancient heavily lidded eyes, and a sharp beak that could snap a man in two.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss and some of his City Council colleagues want to explore lidding Interstate 5.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
The spectrum of highway-skeptical advocacy is broad — on behalf of the wholesale removal of a portion of 99, the redesign of Aurora Avenue, the lidding of I-5 near downtown Seattle, against U.S.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2022
Kirwan is never loath to combat a political foe by lidding his barrel.
From Time Magazine Archive
The light had retreated at the insistence of the darkness—a scrap of cloud lidding the blank eye of the moon—and Bone Gap was still.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
"I can all but read your thoughts," he went on, lidding his green eyes a number of times.
From Peter the Brazen A Mystery Story of Modern China by Gayle Porter Hoskins
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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.
