kid

noun \ ˈkid \

|Updated on: 17 Aug 2018

Examples: kid in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Is the word kid slang?

Definition of kid

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

2 a : a young goat

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

3 a : 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

—

kiddish

play \ˈki-dish\ adjective

See kid defined for English-language learners

See kid defined for kids

Examples of kid in a Sentence

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 of kid from the Web

Septran hosted a Touch-a-Bus activity which allowed kids to wander through the vehicle and test out some of its features.

— david sharos, Aurora Beacon-News, "Saturday fireworks planned as Yorkville River Fest celebrates on and near the water," 14 July 2018
The creations will keep the kids crafting and chasing the next gust till sundown.

— BostonGlobe.com, "The week ahead: music, theater, art, and more," 13 July 2018
But in the end, this is about learning and reading and getting kids interested in books.

— david sharos, Naperville Sun, "'Party That Shall Not Be Named' returns July 28 to celebrate all things Harry Potter," 13 July 2018
The gaze captured by the Deborah Oropallo painting, which layers contemporary images over classical ones, might strike kids as that of a watchful nanny but seem more coy to adult eyes.

— tim gavan, WSJ, "Five Stairways Go From Dull to Dramatic," 13 July 2018
Reef-friendly: Think of Beautycounter’s new Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 as the holy grail of mineral sunscreen — gender-neutral, fast-absorbing and no corpse-like finish — everybody wins, including the kids.

— janna mandell, SFChronicle.com, "Summer skin-care solutions by microclimate," 12 July 2018
These immortal, undead creatures are dragging with middle-age malaise, desperate for a date night away from the kids.

— barbara vandenburgh, azcentral, "Monsters go on vacation in 'Hotel Transylvania 3'," 12 July 2018
Sometimes, Julie would take the kids down to North Carolina to see their father.

— harriet sokmensuer, PEOPLE.com, "Murder Victim Pleaded with Husband to Get Therapy Before He Killed Her and Their 3 Kids," 12 July 2018
The mother of four also expressed dismay about the Trump administration's immigration policies, especially separating kids from their parents at the border.

— maria puente, USA TODAY, "Mira Sorvino's Hollywood horror: I was gagged with a condom at an audition at age 16," 12 July 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.

Is the word kid slang?

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.

Origin and Etymology of kid

Middle English kide, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse kith kid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2a

See Words from the same year

kid Synonyms

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

kid

adjective

Definition of kid

: younger

my kid brother

his kid sister

See kid defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of kid from the Web

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
Her father was arrested for the killing of her mother but has since been released, and her kid sister Abby has been placed in foster care with a Philadelphia family.

— david rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Night Comes On': Film Review | Sundance 2018," 23 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of kid

see ¹kid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1895

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

kid

verb

Definition of kid

kidded; kidding

transitive verb

1 a : 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.

—

kidder

noun

—

kiddingly

play \ˈki-diŋ-lē\ adverb

Recent Examples of kid from the Web

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
Just kidding, but really, that might be the future if Facebook’s vision for social VR comes to fruition.

— wired staff, WIRED, "The Virtual Insanity of F8," 4 May 2018
Tim Rohan helps the citizens of Philadelphia burn the city down (kidding).

— conor orr, SI.com, "The Morning (Er, Afternoon...) After Super Bowl LII," 5 Feb. 2018
But all kidding aside, Calipari insists his team is not that bad at outside shooting, even if the effort on this night added a few more gray hairs.

— sean meagher, OregonLive.com, "NCAA Tournament 2018 scores: West Virginia vs Murray State," 16 Mar. 2018
All kidding aside, Verdone was quick to credit a San Clemente squad that has won two state titles in a row and had four of the six surfers in the boys' shortboard final.

— joe haakenson, latimes.com, "Huntington Beach takes second at state surfing championships," 11 Mar. 2018
Divya Gupta was half-kidding, but Medha, a sophomore at Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, took the challenge seriously.

— Washington Post, "This teenager worried about walking alone, so she created an app to make it safer," 10 Feb. 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
Though Rossi was mostly kidding, don't think for a second Honda officials didn't enjoy Honda's dominance Saturday and are hoping for more on Sunday.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar at Belle Isle: Honda dominates on Chevrolet's turf," 2 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of kid

probably from ¹kid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1901

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

kid

verb

Definition of kid

kidded; kidding

intransitive verb

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

Recent Examples of kid from the Web

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
Just kidding, but really, that might be the future if Facebook’s vision for social VR comes to fruition.

— wired staff, WIRED, "The Virtual Insanity of F8," 4 May 2018
Bill Cosby kidding about Spanish Fly is not so funny anymore.

— josie duffy rice, The Atlantic, "The Gospel According to Pusha T," 12 July 2018
No goals and the only highlights of the half are the two Belgium yellows, a mockery of the notion of fair play that will not go unpunished when the history of this tournament is writ .... kidding.

— andrew das, New York Times, "Belgium Beats England, but Faces Tougher World Cup Bracket," 29 June 2018
Jane loved the roadside attraction exhibit, which includes a part of a Philadelphia public transit bus, which kids board.

— ed condran, courant.com, "Philadelphia Emerges As Colorful Travel Destination," 24 June 2018
Unfortunately her mom was kidding and the girl had to kiss her beau goodbye—and give up the dream of rebooting the Andrew McCarthy/Kim Cattrall classic film, Mannequin forever.

— melissa locker, Time, "Little Girl Who Has Instant Rapport With Mannequin Boy Refuses to Leave Store," 19 June 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
Just kidding, the boy didn’t look too bad after eight months vacation.

— john cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! Jon White’s final Preakness rankings," 18 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of kid

see ¹kid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

KID Defined for English Language Learners

kid

noun

Definition of kid for English Language Learners

: a son or daughter
: a young person
: a young goat

kid

adjective

Definition of kid for English Language Learners

: younger

KID Defined for Kids

kid

noun \ ˈkid \

Definition of kid for Students

1 : child

2 : a young goat or a related animal

3 : the flesh, fur, or skin of a young goat or related animal or something (as leather) made from one of these

kid

verb

Definition of kid for Students

kidded; kidding

1 : to deceive or trick as a joke We're having a test? No, I'm just kidding.

2 : ¹tease 1 We kidded him about his new girlfriend.

—

kidder

noun

Learn More about kid

See words that rhyme with kid Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kid Spanish Central: Translation of kid Nglish: Translation of kid for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of kid for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kid

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kid

Definition of kid

kiddish

Examples of kid in a Sentence

Recent Examples of kid from the Web

Is the word kid slang?

Origin and Etymology of kid

kid Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

kid

Definition of kid

Recent Examples of kid from the Web

Origin and Etymology of kid

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

kid

Definition of kid

kidder

kiddingly

Recent Examples of kid from the Web

Origin and Etymology of kid

kid

Definition of kid

Recent Examples of kid from the Web

Origin and Etymology of kid

Phrases Related to KID

Related Phrases

KID Defined for English Language Learners

kid

Definition of kid for English Language Learners

kid

Definition of kid for English Language Learners

KID Defined for Kids

kid

Definition of kid for Students

kid

Definition of kid for Students

kidder

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