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 Learn More about kid

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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

adult, grown-up

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

The original cast of kids returns, with Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader filling in for the adult versions of the characters. — Nigel Smith, PEOPLE.com, "Is It: Chapter 3 Happening? Actor Who Plays Pennywise Says There's 'Ideas Floating Around'," 17 Sep. 2019 So Glincher decided this summer to offer a new generation of Brockton High School kids a look. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building," 17 Sep. 2019 Ultimately, banning flavors could help reduce the number of kids who start vaping. — NBC News, "Vaping 101: What to know about e-cigs, addiction and illnesses," 17 Sep. 2019 One of the kids who led the pack became my little third grade boyfriend weeks later. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, "Sarah Silverman defends Dave Chappelle and humor that offends: ‘That’s comedy. You overstep’," 16 Sep. 2019 But for Snowden, a lonely and seemingly miserable kid, the Legend of Zelda was much more than a game. — Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, "Edward Snowden and the Rise of Whistle-Blower Culture," 16 Sep. 2019 Ideally this antihero will be a middle-aged, heterosexual white man with a wife and kids, hiding in plain sight in American suburbia. — Adam Wilson, Harper's magazine, "Good Bad Bad Good," 16 Sep. 2019 What message does that send to the tremendous number of kids of color in the Bridgeport public schools? — Daniela Altimari, courant.com, "In Connecticut’s major cities, it’s the year of the white man in politics," 15 Sep. 2019 On the night of August 13, Karen, Tricia, and most of the kids from their senior class went out — one last hurrah for the summer. — CBS News, "The Hollywood Ripper: How "48 Hours" helped crack the case of convicted serial killer Michael Gargiulo," 14 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Green and yellow bell peppers are kid pleasers in Packers colors. — Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Skip the PB&J and pack a Wisconsin school lunch inspired by tailgating, Kwik Trip and the State Fair," 10 Sep. 2019 While Champ played in 215 NFL regular-season games, his kid brother wasn’t so fortunate. — Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, "Kiszla: Here’s one reason Champ Bailey is more remarkable than many football legends in the Hall of Fame," 2 Aug. 2019 But kid sister was never a label embraced inside Madewell's Long Island City, New York, headquarters. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "Libby Wadle Is Madewell's Secret Weapon," 22 July 2019 The owners plan to hold bachelorette parties, decorating classes, and kid birthday parties. — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "C. Adams Bakery owners want to open a dessert bakery in Wauwatosa," 21 June 2019 Most of those things really have to do with two things: Trying to make their kid act in ways that are consistent with traditional gender roles or to suppress any sort of gender diversity. — Teen Vogue, "Inside the Fight to Ban Conversion Therapy for LGBTQ Youth Through State Laws," 14 June 2019 Certain recurring elements are cartoonish: A sage little-kid drug dealer, a mom who never goes anywhere without a glass of wine. — Darren Franich, EW.com, "HBO's teen shock-soap Euphoria is sweeter than you think: EW review," 14 June 2019 Columnist Karina Bland explains why kid birthday parties are the worst. — Karina Bland, azcentral, "My son thinks I'm embarrassing. But let's face it: Through a 13-year-old’s eyes, Mom can never be cool," 13 June 2019 Living near an amusement park was kid paradise. ... — Marc Myers, WSJ, "‘Poms’ Actress Rhea Perlman on Her Wild Ride From Coney Island to Emmy Winner," 30 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

All kidding aside, there is some question about why Newton still isn't throwing deep even though he's supposedly healed and under no restrictions from the coaching staff following arthroscopic surgery in January. — Steve Reed, chicagotribune.com, "Cam Newton still getting questioned about lack of deep passes," 11 Sep. 2019 All kidding aside, Wisconsin does have disproportionate representation in the series. — Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The IndyCar paddock is full of Cheeseheads, don'tcha know," 21 June 2019 Hicks, kidding aside, is glad to see Jones back in the hitting spirit. — Chris Nelsen, Detroit Free Press, "JaCoby Jones has been Tigers best hitter for 2 weeks. Here's his secret," 7 June 2019 Just kidding capitalism has a way of always winning out in the end and many of the buildings that have been painted by international street artists there have since been turned into points of attraction for the landlords hoping to raise rents. — Luke O'neil, Longreads, "The Wind Sometimes Feels in Error," 29 July 2019 My strategy was simple: add one scoop (two scoops became too gritty) into my morning matcha or oatmeal, and instantly transform into Kylie Jenner—kidding. — Susan Brickell, Health.com, "This Collagen Brand Is Kylie Jenner's Secret to Glowing Skin—and It's on Sale Today Only," 16 July 2019 Just kidding, it’s safety, although enjoying yourself is a very close second. — Gigi Engle, SELF, "How to Use a Cock Ring, Just in Case You Were Wondering," 12 July 2019 The Ruby Princess kids camp is free and open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days (babysitting is available after 10 p.m. for $5 per hour) and has three groups sorted by age. — Judy Koutsky, Condé Nast Traveler, "All Your Questions About Taking a Child on an Alaska Cruise, Answered," 20 June 2019 Weitzman isn't kidding himself that a lot of shopping venues and stores are circling the drain. — Steve Brown, Dallas News, "Texas real estate legend Herb Weitzman isn't ready to write off retail building for the internet," 28 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Just kidding, it’s safety, although enjoying yourself is a very close second. — Gigi Engle, SELF, "How to Use a Cock Ring, Just in Case You Were Wondering," 12 July 2019 All kidding aside, the reaction to this moment has been decidedly mixed. — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, "The problem with Bradley Cooper asking Lady Gaga to go makeup-free in A Star Is Born," 9 Oct. 2018 Just kidding capitalism has a way of always winning out in the end and many of the buildings that have been painted by international street artists there have since been turned into points of attraction for the landlords hoping to raise rents. — Luke O'neil, Longreads, "The Wind Sometimes Feels in Error," 29 July 2019 My strategy was simple: add one scoop (two scoops became too gritty) into my morning matcha or oatmeal, and instantly transform into Kylie Jenner—kidding. — Susan Brickell, Health.com, "This Collagen Brand Is Kylie Jenner's Secret to Glowing Skin—and It's on Sale Today Only," 16 July 2019 Hinch kidded that Brantley's hamstring had become sore from getting on base so many times in the Astros' 5-4 loss in Friday's series opener. — Brent Zwerneman, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' Michael Brantley gets precautionary day off," 6 July 2019 Perhaps that means that Facebook is kidding, or hasn’t thought things through, or is not really planning for Libra to be a meaningful medium of exchange. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "A Facebook civil rights audit could have unintended consequences," 2 July 2019 All kidding aside, Wisconsin does have disproportionate representation in the series. — Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The IndyCar paddock is full of Cheeseheads, don'tcha know," 21 June 2019 The Ruby Princess kids camp is free and open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days (babysitting is available after 10 p.m. for $5 per hour) and has three groups sorted by age. — Judy Koutsky, Condé Nast Traveler, "All Your Questions About Taking a Child on an Alaska Cruise, Answered," 20 June 2019

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.