Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense kids, present participle kidding, past tense, past participle kidded
1. countable noun
You can refer to a child as a kid.
[informal]
They've got three kids.
All the kids in my class could read.
Synonyms: child, girl, boy, baby More Synonyms of kid
2. countable noun & vocative noun
Young people who are no longer children are sometimes referred to as kids.
[informal]
There were gangs of kids on motorbikes roaming around.
That's a lot for a kid of 22 to cope with.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You can refer to your younger brother as your kid brother and your younger sister as your kid sister.
[informal]
My kid sister woke up and started crying.
Synonyms: younger, little, baby More Synonyms of kid
4. countable noun
A kid is a young goat.
5. verb [usually cont]
If you are kidding, you are saying something that is not really true, as a joke.
[informal]
I'm not kidding, Frank. There's a cow out there, just standing around. [VERB]
I'm just kidding. [VERB]
Are you sure you're not kidding me? [VERB noun]
Synonyms: tease, joke, trick, fool More Synonyms of kid
6. verb
If you kid someone, you tease them.
He liked to kid Ingrid a lot. [VERB noun]
He used to kid me about being chubby. [VERB noun + about]
7. verb
If people kidthemselves, they allow themselves to believe something that is not true because they wish that it was true.
We're kidding ourselves, Bill. We're not winning, we're not even doing well. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
I could kid myself that you did this for me, but it would be a lie. [V pron-refl that]
8.
See no kidding
9.
See no kidding?
10.
See sb has got to be kidding/sb must be kidding
11.
See who is sb kidding/who is sb trying to kid?
kid in British English1
(kɪd)
noun
1.
the young of a goat or of a related animal, such as an antelope
2.
soft smooth leather made from the hide of a kid
3. informal
a.
a young person; child
b. (modifier)
younger or being still a child
kid brother
kid sister
4. our kid
verbWord forms: kids, kidding or kidded
5.
(of a goat) to give birth to (young)
Derived forms
kiddishness (ˈkiddishness)
noun
kidlike (ˈkidˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C12: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse kith, Shetland Islands kidi lamb
kid in British English2
(kɪd)
verbWord forms: kids, kidding or kidded(sometimes foll byon or along) informal
1. (transitive)
to tease or deceive for fun
2. (intransitive)
to behave or speak deceptively for fun
3. (transitive)
to delude or fool (oneself) into believing (something)
don't kid yourself that no-one else knows
Derived forms
kiddingly (ˈkiddingly)
adverb
Word origin
C19: probably from kid1
kid in British English3
(kɪd)
noun
a small wooden tub
Word origin
C18: probably variant of kit1 (in the sense: barrel)
Kid in British English
(kɪd)
noun
a variant spelling of (Thomas) Kyd
kid in American English
(kɪd)
noun
1.
a young goat or, occasionally, antelope
2.
its flesh, used as a food
3.
leather made from the skin of young goats, used for gloves, shoes, etc.
4. [pl.]
gloves or shoes made of this leather
5. Informal
a child or young person
adjective
6.
made of kidskin
7. US, Informal
younger
my kid sister
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈkidded or ˈkidding
8.
to give birth to (a kid or kids)
said of goats or antelopes
9. Informal
a.
to deceive or fool in a playful way
b.
to tease or ridicule playfully
Idioms:
kid around
no kidding!
Derived forms
kidder (ˈkidder)
noun
kidlike (ˈkidˌlike)
adjective or ˈkiddish
Word origin
ME kide, prob. < Anglo-N, akin to ON kith, Dan & Swed kid, Ger kitze
More idioms containing
kid
treat someone with kid gloves
like a kid in a candy store
COBUILD Collocations
kid
disadvantaged kids
grown-up kids
street kid
underprivileged kids
vulnerable kids
Image of
kid
Shutterstock
In other languages
kid
British English: kid /kɪd/ NOUN
You can refer to a child as a kid.
They've got three kids.
American English: kid
Arabic: طِفْلٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: criança
Chinese: 小孩
Croatian: dijete
Czech: děcko
Danish: barn
Dutch: kind
European Spanish: chaval
Finnish: lapsi
French: gosse
German: Kind
Greek: παιδί
Italian: bambino
Japanese: 子供
Korean: 아이
Norwegian: unge
Polish: dziecko
European Portuguese: criança
Romanian: puști
Russian: малыш
Latin American Spanish: chiquillo
Swedish: unge
Thai: เด็ก
Turkish: çocuk
Ukrainian: дитина
Vietnamese: đứa trẻ
British English: kid /kɪd/ VERB
If you are kidding, you are saying something that is not really true, as a joke.
Oh come on, I was just kidding.
American English: kid
Arabic: يُـمَازِجُ
Brazilian Portuguese: brincar gracejar
Chinese: 开玩笑
Croatian: šaliti se
Czech: dělat si legraci
Danish: lave sjov
Dutch: grappen maken
European Spanish: bromear burla
Finnish: pilailla
French: faire une blague
German: scherzen
Greek: πειράζω
Italian: scherzare
Japanese: ヤギが子を産む
Korean: 놀리다
Norwegian: narre
Polish: stroić sobie żarty
European Portuguese: brincar
Romanian: a glumi
Russian: разыгрывать
Latin American Spanish: bromear
Swedish: skoja
Thai: ล้อเล่น
Turkish: şaka yapmak
Ukrainian: жартувати
Vietnamese: đùa
All related terms of 'kid'
kid-on
artificial ; make-believe
our kid
my younger brother or sister
kid glove
a glove made of kidskin
kid stuff
something appropriate for children only
quiz kid
a highly intelligent child
whiz kid
an exceptionally talented and comparatively young person, esp. a newcomer , who shows great promise in a particular field
whizz kid
If you refer to a young person as a whizz-kid , you mean that they have achieved success at a young age because they are very clever and very good at something, especially making money.
kid around
to engage in joking , horseplay , etc.
kid brother
your younger brother
kid gloves
If you treat someone or something with kid gloves , or if you give them the kid glove treatment , you are very careful in the way you deal with them.
kid sister
your younger sister
school kid
School kids are → schoolchildren .
street kid
You can refer to a child as a kid .
boomerang kid
a young adult who, after having lived on his or her own for a time, returns to live in the parental home, usually due to financial problems caused by unemployment or the high cost of living independently
latchkey kid
a child who has to let himself or herself in at home on returning from school, as his or her parents are out at work
Billy the Kid
nickname of William H. Bonney . 1859–81, US outlaw
kidvid
children's videotapes , films, or television programmes
handle with kid gloves
to treat with extreme care
treat someone with kid gloves
to treat someone very carefully, for example because they are very important or because they are easily upset
like a kid in a candy store
enjoying yourself far too much and not controlling your behaviour in any way. The usual British expression is like a child in a sweet shop .
to handle sb with kid gloves
to treat someone with great tact or caution
who is sb kidding/who is sb trying to kid?
You can say ' who is she kidding? ' or ' who is he trying to kid ? ' if you think it is obvious that someone is not being sincere and does not mean what they say.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of jest
Definition
to do or say something to amuse people
He sat and jested with his cronies.
Synonyms
joke,
kid (informal),
mock,
tease,
sneer,
jeer,
quip,
josh (slang),
scoff,
banter,
deride,
chaff,
gibe
in the sense of joke
Definition
to say or do something to amuse people
Don't get defensive, Charlie. I was only joking.
Synonyms
jest,
kid (informal),
fool,
mock,
wind up (British, slang),
tease,
ridicule,
taunt,
quip,
josh (slang),
banter,
deride,
frolic,
chaff,
gambol,
play the fool,
play a trick
in the sense of juvenile
Definition
a young person
The number of juveniles in the general population has fallen.
Synonyms
child,
youth,
minor,
girl,
boy,
teenager,
infant,
adolescent
in the sense of lad
Definition
a boy or young man
a lad of his age
Synonyms
boy,
kid (informal),
guy (informal),
youth,
fellow (old-fashioned),
youngster,
chap (informal),
juvenile,
shaver (informal),
nipper (informal),
laddie (Scottish),
stripling
in the sense of mock
Definition
to behave with scorn or contempt towards a person or thing
I thought you were mocking me.
Synonyms
laugh at,
insult,
tease,
ridicule,
taunt,
scorn,
sneer,
scoff,
deride,
flout,
make fun of,
wind someone up (British, slang),
poke fun at,
chaff,
take the mickey out of (informal),
jeer at,
take the piss out of (taboo, slang),
show contempt for,
make a monkey out of,
laugh to scorn
in the sense of rag
Definition
to tease
She was ten years older than the youngsters ragging her.
Synonyms
tease,
provoke,
needle (informal),
mock,
bait,
rib (informal),
wind up (British, slang),
torment,
ridicule,
taunt,
goad,
take the mickey (out of) (informal),
take the piss (out of) (taboo, slang),
gibe,
pull someone's leg (informal),
jerk or yank someone's chain (informal)
in the sense of stripling
Definition
a teenage boy or young man
a stripling of 20
Synonyms
boy,
youth,
lad,
youngster,
adolescent,
fledgling,
shaver (informal),
young fellow,
hobbledehoy (archaic)
in the sense of teenager
Definition
a person between the ages of 13 and 19
As a teenager he attended the local high school.
Synonyms
youth,
minor,
adolescent,
juvenile,
girl,
boy
in the sense of tot
Definition
a very young child
The library was full of tots today.
Synonyms
infant,
child,
baby,
toddler,
mite,
wean (Scottish),
bairn (Scottish, NorthernEngland),
little one,
sprog (slang),
munchkin (informal, US),
rug rat (slang),
littlie (Australian, informal),
ankle-biter (Australian, slang),
tacker (Australian, slang)
in the sense of trick
Definition
to defraud, deceive, or cheat (someone)
He'll be upset when he finds out how you tricked him.