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

No doubt Lindsay and Alex would also be out there in the middle of it all, with Alex probably organizing protest concerts and Lindsay leading some sort of STEM program for young kids. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Why "The O.C." Deserves a Reboot," 26 Dec. 2018 Martin Scorsese doesn’t usually direct movies that are suitable for kids, but Hugo is an exception. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "A dozen streamable shows and movies that kids can watch (and parents will like)," 24 Dec. 2018 Importantly, final grades for kids in the school with less money were 4.5 percent higher than before. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "Why we might want the school day to start later," 12 Dec. 2018 Her lock-picking hobby quickly became a specialty and a draw, not just at DHA but at larger hacker conferences and local cybersecurity camps for kids that are run by local colleges and the Girl Scouts. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Want to Be A Hacker? Go to Dallas.," 4 Dec. 2018 The Echo Dot Kids Edition is a great gift option for the kids in your life. — Alexandria Haslam, PCWorld, "Start stashing stocking stuffers early with these awesome Amazon Echo Dot deals," 5 Nov. 2018 Some top picks: Check out all the deals for women, men, and kids on Nordstrom's website. — Lauren Matthews, Good Housekeeping, "The Only List of After-Christmas Sales You Need," 26 Dec. 2018 Business has far more influence on people’s lives than team sports, of course, but there is one area where team sports has an edge: teaching kids about leadership. — Sam Walker, WSJ, "Close the Hall of Fame, Cancel the MVP Award: There’s a Better Way," 27 Dec. 2018 Why: Where to go now that Tulum’s been overrun by red carpets and club kids? — Christina Pérez, Vogue, "Here’s Where to Travel in 2019," 26 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Albanese pulled together an eclectic mix of vintage and custom furniture with layered textures and materials, imparting a sense of sophisticated youthfulness that is equally kid-appropriate and a playful backdrop for adults. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "A Vivacious Canadian Lake House With a Joyful Sense of Irreverence," 24 Dec. 2018 Come for me’ But for Janet, the thought of her kid brother being sent into combat was too much to bear. — Jeremy Roebuck, Philly.com, "Ex-child soldiers say Delco man turned them into killers," 19 June 2018 Their kid sister, age 4, asked why everything was different. — Dan Gorenstein, Washington Post, "Choosing Between Death And Deportation," 22 May 2018 Take the case of my kid brother, Jack, who worked one summer in the 1980s as a house painter. — Mike Kerrigan, WSJ, "Summer Jobs Teach Real-World Lessons," 31 May 2018 Also, owner Scott Fisher prides himself on the safety of all his products, especially kid-favorite drones and hoverboards. — Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Toys R Us is closing. Visit these Milwaukee-area stores for your toy needs.," 15 Mar. 2018 Peyton seemed genuinely impressed with his kid brother's devil-may-care attitude. — Dwight Adams, Indianapolis Star, "Remember the 'Dirty Dancing' ad in the Super Bowl? Peyton Manning dissected brother Eli's moves," 27 Feb. 2018 Shout out to my kid sis @desmondisamazing on his NYFW runway debut for @gypsysport — 10 years old and already serving. . . . . . — Eileen Reslen, Cosmopolitan, "A 10-Year-Old "Drag Kid" Just Stole the Show at New York Fashion Week," 12 Feb. 2018 Their talent should be the real driving factor in attracting crowds, not the controversial appointment of Gary Neville's kid brother. — SI.com, "Phil Neville's Hiring as England Manager is an Insult to the Women's Team," 24 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

He's since been removed from his position as royal mascot and unequivocally banned from all other royal happenings ........ just kidding! — Tess Koman, Cosmopolitan, "This Pony Had the Nerve to Try and Eat Prince Harry With Meghan Markle Watching!!," 14 Feb. 2018 Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky weren't kidding about getting tattoos, apparently. — Jace Evans, USA TODAY, "The Washington Capitals haven't stopped partying since winning the Stanley Cup," 9 June 2018 The duo have been super cute on social media, and their co-stars love to kid them about their relationship. 2. — Hannah Orenstein, Seventeen, "27 Celebrities Who Dated Their Co-Stars IRL," 7 Dec. 2018 Presumably, Clarke is kidding about getting at least some of this ink. — Angela Watercutter, WIRED, "Emilia Clarke Wants a Chewbacca Tattoo—and a Dragon," 23 May 2018 And Jenny wasn’t kidding; her thread is filled with photos of young people recreating moments from the film, complete with nearly identical outfits and poses. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Lara Jean Covey of "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" Is Inspiring Halloween Costumes," 28 Oct. 2018 But there are also far more lurid definitions in common parlance: Ralphing means upchucking from drink, boufing is ingesting alcohol anally (not kidding here, look it up), and the triangle is a three-way consisting of two men and one woman. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: Ralphing, Boufing, and the Devil’s Triangle," 30 Sep. 2018 The ensemble also came equipped with hundreds of fluttering butterflies carried down the runway by a full entourage of shadowy figures – not kidding. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "If You Thought Gigi Hadid's Wedding Dress Was Crazy From the Front, Wait Until You See the Back," 21 Sep. 2018 The model rang in 23 with an extravagant party, complete with a photo booth, Michael Jordan cake (not kidding), and her own Snapchat filter. — Alex Warner, Marie Claire, "Gigi Hadid Celebrated Her Golden Birthday in Gold," 24 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In a nice break from Trumpian politics (kidding . . . — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "The Hype Over Netflix’s Bird Box, Explained," 2 Jan. 2019 And Jenny wasn’t kidding; her thread is filled with photos of young people recreating moments from the film, complete with nearly identical outfits and poses. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Lara Jean Covey of "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" Is Inspiring Halloween Costumes," 28 Oct. 2018 The ensemble also came equipped with hundreds of fluttering butterflies carried down the runway by a full entourage of shadowy figures – not kidding. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "If You Thought Gigi Hadid's Wedding Dress Was Crazy From the Front, Wait Until You See the Back," 21 Sep. 2018 Just kidding: There's definitely crying in the video. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "‘Bachelor’ Fans Are Losing It Over Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon's Unexpected Love Story," 23 May 2018 Growing up, when other kids his age were goofing off with each other, the rapper born Darold Ferguson Jr. was instead shadowing his father, who owned a Harlem boutique and designed the iconic Bad Boy Records logo. — Dan Hyman, chicagotribune.com, "ASAP Ferg has taken everything — rap music, fashion, hype — by storm," 12 July 2018 Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky weren't kidding about getting tattoos, apparently. — Jace Evans, USA TODAY, "The Washington Capitals haven't stopped partying since winning the Stanley Cup," 9 June 2018 Benjamin Hernandez isn't kidding himself about his chances of winning a seat in Congress. — Jeremy Wallace, Houston Chronicle, "Candidate with 'no chance in hell' running for Congress in Houston," 25 Apr. 2018 Herzfeld grew up in Queens, New York, as a musical theater kid herself, and went on to study at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. — Jennifer Calfas, Time, "Meet the Parkland Teacher Behind That Emotional Performance at the Tony Awards," 10 June 2018

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.