kid

1 of 4

noun

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 adjective

kid

2 of 4

adjective

: younger
my kid brother
his kid sister

kid

3 of 4

verb (1)

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 adverb

kid

4 of 4

verb (2)

kidded; kidding

intransitive verb

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

Did you know?

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.

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
Three kids would be really rough, but there’s always that little inkling. Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Because if James Crumbley had done even the smallest of things, like the 10-second cable lock or gone home or took responsibility for his kid who was in trouble, those kids wouldn't have been shot and killed in that school on that day. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 At Austin Central Library in Austin, there will be an eclipse viewing open to the public with a solar telescope and activities for kids. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 There’s a volleyball and basketball court, along with a playground for the kids and a dog park for the pups. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 14 Mar. 2024 Along with the casual snapshots, the two kids are seen cuddling with their mom. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 School's Out day camps at the YMCA YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee locations host School's Out fun days for kids ages 4 to 12 who need child care or something to do from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on spring break days. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 For example, Evangeline Eng, an associate fellow at Estée Lauder Companies, does the majority of her work in the early morning hours to align with her kids' school day, as well as the members of her team in Europe. Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 14 Mar. 2024 Themed activities for kids, giveaways and viewing party. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Related Articles Keeler: Joel Embiid made a kid cry and lost NBA MVP case to Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in one sad, sorry afternoon Grading The Week: Todd Helton got his Hall of Fame nod. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2024 That's an increase of 199 horsepower over the Vitesse's kid brother, the Grand Sport, and the extra oomph is achieved mainly via its four larger turbochargers. Josh Max, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 There will also be an alternative ‘kid and family-friendly’ broadcast on Nickelodeon. Dua Rashid and Jorge Jimenez / Gizmodo, Quartz, 11 Feb. 2024 Although this adult program is for you, kid interruptions are welcome and expected. Sarah Murphy, Sacramento Bee, 1 Feb. 2024 Lyon said bent grass makes one of the most pet and kid friendly native grass lawns. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024 Unlike those similarities to Pokémon, which aims to be kid friendly, Palworld players can shoot Pals with guns to catch and then train them. Cecilia D'anastasio, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2024 The stoneware mug is kid sized and decorated with red hearts. Enjanae' Taylor, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2024 But by and large, people who describe themselves as parents to their pets don’t seem to be asserting that their animals are kid equivalents. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2024
Verb
That's all Ru said, just kidding with her, because that's what Ru does when the cameras are down. EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024 Over the past year or more, comparing consumers’ mood with data has sometimes felt like trying to figure out who’s kidding whom. Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2024 News of Caitlin Clark incident reaches Mackey Don’t kid yourself. Gregg Doyel, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Jan. 2024 Then a teammate kidded him to only take layups to stay perfect. Teresa M. Walker, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024 Dean Spanos and John Spanos got outside their comfort zone, and that’s good news for Chargers diehards who’d been kidding themselves for years. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Feb. 2024 Further Reading The iMac turns 10 Just kidding—until early 2001, those were the solid colors of G3 iMacs that Apple had shipped up to that point. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2024 Definitely not kidding is Tim Petrillo, cofounder of YOLO’s restaurant group, The Restaurant People (S3, Casablanca Cafe, Tarpon River Brewing). Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024 Although Bon Jovi is objectively terrible—I’m kidding. Pitchfork, 4 Jan. 2024
Verb
And then—I’m not kidding—completely of its own accord, a cork spontaneously flies out of a champagne bottle chilling in a silver bowl nearby as if to signal agreement with an emphatic pop! Carina Chocano, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Mar. 2023 Yolk gotta be kidding. Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 22 Mar. 2023 No, all – all kidding aside. Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2023 But Ballard wasn’t kidding. The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023 Italians have been kidding themselves. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2023 Dahl was kidding about the need to censor a cherished children’s story, but Dahl’s publisher isn’t. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023 Brothers can't wait to kid him. Eric Sondheimer columnist follow, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2022 Can’t kid a kidder, fellas. Nick Canepacolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kid.' 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

Noun, Adjective, and Verb (2)

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

Verb (1)

probably from kid entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Adjective

1895, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1901, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kid was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near kid

Cite this Entry

“Kid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kid. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kid

1 of 2 noun
1
: the young of a goat or of a related animal
2
a
: the flesh, fur, or skin of a kid
b
: something (as leather) made of kid
3
: a young person : child, youngster
kiddish adjective

kid

2 of 2 verb
kidded; kidding
1
: to deceive or trick as a joke
2
kidder noun

More from Merriam-Webster on kid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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