kid

noun

\ ˈkid

Definition of kid

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : a young person kids in high school especially : child a married couple with two kids —often used as a generalized reference to one especially younger or less experienced the kid on the pro golf tour you poor kid

2a : a young goat

b : a young individual of various animals related to the goat

3a : the flesh, fur, or skin of a young goat

b : something (such as leather) made of the fur or skin of a young goat gloves made of kid

kid

adjective

Definition of kid (Entry 2 of 4)

: younger my kid brother his kid sister

kid

verb (1)

kidded; kidding

Definition of kid (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1a : to deceive (someone) as a joke : to say untrue things to (someone) in a playful or joking way It's the truth; I wouldn't kid you. You've got to be kidding me. I kid you not.

b : to fail to admit the truth to (someone) They're kidding themselves if they think they can win.

2 : to gently criticize or tease (someone) in a friendly or good-humored way We kidded her about her old car.

intransitive verb

: to engage in good-humored fooling or horseplay He was just kidding with you. —often used with around She enjoys kidding around with her friends.

kid

verb (2)

kidded; kidding

Definition of kid (Entry 4 of 4)

intransitive verb

: to bring forth young —used of a goat or an antelope

Other Words from kid Synonyms & Antonyms Is the word kid slang? More Example Sentences Phrases Containing kid Learn More About kid

Other Words from kid

Noun

kiddish \ ˈki-dish

\ adjective

Verb (1)

kidder noun

kiddingly \ ˈki-diŋ-lē

\ adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for kid

Synonyms: Noun

bairn
[chiefly Scottish],
bambino,
bud,
chap
[Southern & Midland],
chick,
child,
cub,
juvenile,
kiddie
(also kiddy),
kiddo,
moppet,
sprat,
sprout,
squirt,
whelp,
youngling,
youngster,
youth

Antonyms: Noun

Is the word kid slang?

Noun

Some people worry that kid, when used of a child rather than a juvenile goat, is either slang or too colloquial to merit acceptance in standard English.

The fact is that we have been using kid to refer to a child that is human, rather than goatish, for more than three hundred years now. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that although this word was considered “low slang” when it first began being used, it had entered “familiar speech” by the 19th century.

In contemporary English, kid is neither slang nor improper. It is, however, most definitely informal, so those writing professionally or in a formal register might prefer to use child.

Examples of kid in a Sentence

Noun She has to leave early and pick up her kids at school. He has a wife and two kids. I wish I could do something to help that poor kid.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Start with our list of the best kid-friendly coding websites and games, many of which your children can play for free. — Corinne Sullivan, Woman's Day, 6 May 2022 The free shows take place 5:30-8:30 p.m., and kid-friendly activities are also available to enjoy, along with food trucks and a beer and wine garden, according to a press release. — Annie Nickoloff, cleveland, 4 May 2022 Features outdoor kid-friendly craft table and games, music by The Get Down (3:30 p.m.), special Derby offerings from vendors and guest makers, and growers. — Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 4 May 2022 What’s your first memory of being a kid and being aware of music? — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2022 Families can experience the hotel’s urban campout package, which is a kid-friendly, in-room camping adventure. — Ramsey Qubein, Forbes, 1 May 2022 Our list is filled with creative ideas ranging from kid-friendly to adults-only! — Cameron Jenkins, Good Housekeeping, 29 Apr. 2022 Off-stage: Artists on the Avenue, a Memory Sidewalk and kid-friendly activities. — Arkansas Democrat-gazette, Arkansas Online, 22 Apr. 2022 Taking the overarching theme to new heights, Michael Kors will host a series of events to celebrate the new expansion, complete with kid-friendly activations. — Shelby Ying Hyde, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective And that's a really big deal for a kid actor, because nobody ever told me that. — Emily Strohm, PEOPLE.com, 6 May 2022 Into the Spider-Verse envisioned the multiverse as a horizon of possibilities, where the heroic figure of Spider-Man could just as easily be a high-flying female drummer or a kid genius from a cyperbunk anime future. — Christian Holub, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2022 Maverick isn’t kid-specific competition for Sonic 2. — Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 13 Apr. 2022 The Biden administration’s growing antitrust activity surprised the corporate behemoth, which had expected kid gloves from Democrats. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 14 Mar. 2022 As Adam developed his game, his kid brother would tag along to rec centers and outdoor courts. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2022 Homme Plus, Walter Van Beirendonck, Craig Green), with a sprinkling of cool-kid classics from Maison Margiela, Acne Studios and hometown hero John Elliott. — Max Berlinger, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2022 In 1945—one month after the very first nuclear weapon test, codenamed Trinity—two kid cowboys in the New Mexican desert, aged 7 and 9, heard a crash. — Chantel Tattoli, Wired, 18 Feb. 2022 It’s not a wholly novel concept for adults to return to kid-centric locations for a dose of nostalgia and irony. — New York Times, 18 Feb. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Another great option for little ones, CodeMonkey is an online community that helps kid with no prior experience learn how to code. — Corinne Sullivan, Woman's Day, 6 May 2022 Elon Musk may like to kid around on Twitter , but his impending ownership of the platform is no joke, to him or anyone else. — Laura Forman, WSJ, 26 Apr. 2022 Sevigny is excellent, worn in different ways before and after her son’s death, handling him with care but not kid gloves in life, more sorrowful than vengeful afterward. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022 It’s not the end of the world, but no one should kid themselves into believing that Biden didn’t make a mistake. — Michael A. Cohen, The New Republic, 28 Mar. 2022 Don't kid yourself, the pain and scars from that day were deep. — Matthew Brown, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2022 John tries pretty dang hard to woo this hardcore country kid over to his team, even tossing out evidence of country cred by way of his recent CMT award for his song with Carrie Underwood. — Maggie Fremont, EW.com, 28 Sep. 2021 Indeed, some of the film’s most touching moments are recordings of banter between MacGowan and Depp, who kid each other mercilessly while raising a glass. — Will Tizard, Variety, 27 Aug. 2021 Which, back then, to kid me, carried a spooky importance. — T Kira Madden, refinery29.com, 3 Aug. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Another great option for little ones, CodeMonkey is an online community that helps kid with no prior experience learn how to code. — Corinne Sullivan, Woman's Day, 6 May 2022 Elon Musk may like to kid around on Twitter , but his impending ownership of the platform is no joke, to him or anyone else. — Laura Forman, WSJ, 26 Apr. 2022 Sevigny is excellent, worn in different ways before and after her son’s death, handling him with care but not kid gloves in life, more sorrowful than vengeful afterward. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022 It’s not the end of the world, but no one should kid themselves into believing that Biden didn’t make a mistake. — Michael A. Cohen, The New Republic, 28 Mar. 2022 Don't kid yourself, the pain and scars from that day were deep. — Matthew Brown, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2022 John tries pretty dang hard to woo this hardcore country kid over to his team, even tossing out evidence of country cred by way of his recent CMT award for his song with Carrie Underwood. — Maggie Fremont, EW.com, 28 Sep. 2021 Indeed, some of the film’s most touching moments are recordings of banter between MacGowan and Depp, who kid each other mercilessly while raising a glass. — Will Tizard, Variety, 27 Aug. 2021 Which, back then, to kid me, carried a spooky importance. — T Kira Madden, refinery29.com, 3 Aug. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.