ID

verb

ˈī-ˈdē 

ID'd or IDed; ID'ing or IDing

transitive verb

: identify

ID'd the thief

Did you know?

In Latin, id means simply "it". Sigmund Freud (and his translator) brought the word into the modern vocabulary as the name of what Freud believed to be one of the three basic elements of the human personality, the other two being the ego and the superego. According to Freud, the id is the first of these to develop, and is the home of the body's basic instincts, particularly those involving sex and aggression. Since the id lacks logic, reason, or even organization, it can contain conflicting impulses. Primitive in nature, it wants to be satisfied immediately. Although its workings are completely unconscious, Freud believed that its contents could be revealed in works of art, in slips of the tongue ("Freudian slips"), and in one's dreams.

Synonyms of ID

• identify

Examples of ID in a Sentence

The police have not yet ID'd the victim.

studies that show that eyewitnesses are surprisingly unreliable when called upon to ID the perpetrators of crimes

Recent Examples on the Web

Best Loose-Fitting Workout Pants on Amazon Cozy Leggings Alternative: Reebok ID BV Tricot Pants, $25–$34 (orig. —Melony Forcier, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026

That said, there are some compelling findings that ID a few particular items as potential players, according to experts. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 14 Aug. 2025

Keeping your cards, cash, and ID safe and sound while traveling just got way easier. —Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2025

Between the lines: There are other tools on the market that ID drugs that can be repurposed. —Tina Reed, Axios, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ID

• caller ID
• ID card
• REAL ID

Rhymes for ID

• bid
• did
• grid
• hid
• lid
• mid
• quid
• rid
• skid
• slid
• squid
• amid

Medical Definition

id

1 of 4 noun

ˈid 

: the one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that is completely unconscious and is the source of psychic energy derived from instinctual needs and drives compare ego, superego

id

2 of 4 noun

: a skin rash that is an allergic reaction to an agent causing an infection

a syphilitic id

tinea pedis and the vesicular ids arising from it

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

compare bacterid

id

3 of 4 abbreviation

the same

ID

4 of 4 abbreviation

1

identification

2

inside diameter; internal diameter

3

intellectual disability; intellectually disabled

4

intradermal

Etymology

Latin idem

Legal Definition

id.

abbreviation

idem