hide

1 of 5

verb (1)

hid ˈhid How to pronounce hide (audio) ; hidden ˈhi-dᵊn How to pronounce hide (audio) or hid; hiding ˈhī-diŋ How to pronounce hide (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to put out of sight : secrete
hide a key under the doormat
b
: to conceal for shelter or protection : shield
They hid him from the police.
2
: to keep secret
hide the truth
3
: to screen from or as if from view : obscure
clouds hid the sun
4
: to turn (the eyes or face) away in shame or anger

intransitive verb

1
: to remain out of sight
she hid under the bed
often used with out
hiding out from the cops
2
: to seek protection or evade responsibility
hides behind his dark glasses, hoping to avoid being recognized
hider noun

hide

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: the skin of an animal whether raw or prepared for use
used especially of large heavy skins
buffalo killed for their hides
boots made of cow hide
2
: the life or physical well-being of a person
betrayed his friend to save his own hide

hide

3 of 5

verb (2)

hided; hiding

transitive verb

: to give a beating to : flog

hide

4 of 5

noun (2)

chiefly British
: blind sense 2
hunting ducks from a hide

hide

5 of 5

noun (3)

: any of various old English units of land area
especially : a unit of 120 acres
Phrases
hide or hair or hide nor hair
: a trace or visible sign of someone or something
a wife he hadn't seen hide or hair of in over 20 yearsH. L. Davis
Choose the Right Synonym for hide

hide, conceal, screen, secrete, bury mean to withhold or withdraw from sight.

hide may or may not suggest intent.

hide in the closet
a house hidden in the woods

conceal usually does imply intent and often specifically implies a refusal to divulge.

concealed the weapon

screen implies an interposing of something that prevents discovery.

a house screened by trees

secrete suggests a depositing in a place unknown to others.

secreted the amulet inside his shirt

bury implies covering up so as to hide completely.

buried the treasure

Examples of hide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The amount of dust, dirt, and crumbs hiding in between car seats and couch cushions can be shocking. Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024 Members were interrogated as to whether the church was hiding any Americans. Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024 Most often, the drills focus on teaching students where to hide in case of an emergency. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2024 Jared learns a murderous ogre, Mulgarath, is the source of all of Henson’s woes, and that the diabolical monster is after his great-grandfather Arthur Spiderwick’s (Albert Jones) magical field guide, which has been divided up and hidden around the town. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024 Taylor Swift just released her new album The Tortured Poets Department — but from the looks of a mysterious new countdown hidden on her Instagram profile, the fun is far from over. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024 Bragg's office alleges the falsification was done to conceal violating federal campaign finance laws and hide a plan to break New York tax and election laws, making the charges felonies rather than misdemeanors. Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024 Nguyen is something of a progressive firebrand on social media and in public speaking appearances, and doesn't hide his political goals for the show. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024 While cancer is a big, frightening word, the fear of the unknown or feeling like something is being hidden is far scarier and more confusing for children, adds Amodio. Mia Taylor, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
Another 35 pieces were domestic tools: digging sticks, pointed tools for piercing or working hides, and shafts that likely served as handles for axes or stone blades. Byandrew Curry, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024 Scale-like trim and a bow window hide alongside drop-ceiling tiles and carpet, a reminder that the structure was built in the early 1900s. Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024 Johnson-Gottlieb later pointed to Cole’s state of mind after the killing, arguing that the defendant was not trying to deceive officers to save his hide, but rather was still in shock from being wounded in a shooting and then later killing his own friend, Hernandez. Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024 WATCH Out of Quito and into Ecuador's Wild Monty Lewis is one of just five craftspeople in the UK who still makes traditional dress sporrans using goat hide and horsehair. Karen Gardiner, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2023 Alice seems happily content with Chauncey, sitting down for a tea party with him and playing hide and seek. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Counterfeiting a logo, of course, is much easier than duplicating workmanship or high-quality hide. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024 Some of his favorite things include wand toys, exploring, and playing hide and seek. Stephanie Baillargeon-McCurry and, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024 Much like how great white sharks favor seals' blubber-rich hides, and generally don’t target less-fatty hominids like us, experts also believe that killer whales just aren’t as drawn to human flesh when compared with other fare like, say, nutrient-rich salmon. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hide.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English hiden, from Old English hȳdan; akin to Greek keuthein to conceal

Noun (1) and Verb (2)

Middle English, from Old English hȳd; akin to Old High German hūt hide, Latin cutis skin, Greek kytos hollow vessel

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Old English hīgid, hīd

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

circa 1825, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hide was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hide

Cite this Entry

“Hide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hide. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

hide

1 of 3 verb
hid
ˈhid
; hidden
ˈhid-ᵊn
or hid; hiding
ˈhīd-iŋ
1
: to put or get out of sight : conceal
hide a treasure
hid in a closet
2
: to keep secret
hide one's grief
3
: to screen from view
a house hidden by trees
clouds hid the sun
4
: to seek protection or avoid responsibility
hider
ˈhīd-ər
noun

hide

2 of 3 noun
: the skin of an animal whether raw or dressed

hide

3 of 3 verb
hided; hiding
: to give a beating to
Etymology

Verb

Old English hȳdan "to get out of sight"

Noun

Old English hȳd "skin of an animal"

More from Merriam-Webster on hide

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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