hide

verb

/haɪd/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they hide	/haɪd/ /haɪd/
he / she / it hides	/haɪdz/ /haɪdz/
past simple hid	/hɪd/ /hɪd/
past participle hidden	/ˈhɪdn/ /ˈhɪdn/
-ing form hiding	/ˈhaɪdɪŋ/ /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive] to put or keep somebody/something in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found synonym conceal
- hide somebody/something + adv./prep. He hid the letter in a drawer.
- hide somebody/something I keep my private papers hidden.
- hide somebody/something from something (+ adv./prep.) They hid me from the police in their attic.
Extra Examples
- He hid the book under his bed.
- I'll find a better place to hide it.
- It had been cleverly hidden under furniture.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- away
- quickly
- easily
- …
verb + hide
- prefer to
- want to
preposition
- among
- behind
- beneath
- …
phrases
- carefully hidden
- completely hidden
- well hidden
- …
See full entry
[intransitive, transitive] to go somewhere where you hope you will not be seen or found
- Quick, hide!
- + adv./prep. I hid under the bed.
- hide from somebody (+ adv./prep.) We hid from our pursuers in an empty house.
- hide yourself + adv./prep. She hides herself away in her office all day.
Extra Examples
- She wanted to run away and hide.
- He could easily hide in the woods.
- He quickly hid behind a large plant.
- They were hiding among the bushes.
- figures hiding in the shadows
- They're hiding from the police.
- (figurative) He accused the president of preferring to hide from the truth.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- away
- quickly
- easily
- …
verb + hide
- prefer to
- want to
preposition
- among
- behind
- beneath
- …
phrases
- carefully hidden
- completely hidden
- well hidden
- …
See full entry
[transitive] to cover somebody/something so that they/it cannot be seen synonym conceal
- hide something + adv./prep. He hid his face in his hands.
- hide something The house was hidden by trees.
- The brim of his hat hid half his face.
- No amount of make-up could hide her age.
Extra Examples
- He had a weak mouth which he hid beneath a beard.
- The TV was discreetly hidden in a corner.
- tiny villages hidden deep in the softly rolling hills
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- away
- quickly
- easily
- …
verb + hide
- prefer to
- want to
preposition
- among
- behind
- beneath
- …
phrases
- carefully hidden
- completely hidden
- well hidden
- …
See full entry
[transitive] hide something to keep something secret, especially your feelings synonym conceal
- They didn't try to hide the fact that the film was a remake.
- I have never tried to hide the truth about my past.
- She struggled to hide her disappointment.
- They claim that they have nothing to hide (= there was nothing wrong or illegal about what they did).
- His brusque manner hides a shy and sensitive nature.
- I could not hide my joy at seeing him again.
Synonyms hide
hide
- conceal
- cover
- disguise
- mask
- camouflage
These words all mean to put or keep somebody/something in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found, or to keep the truth or your feelings secret.
- hide to put or keep somebody/something in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found; to keep something secret, especially your feelings:
  He hid the letter in a drawer.
  She managed to hide her disappointment.
- conceal (formal) to hide somebody/something; to keep something secret:
  The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster.
  Tim could barely conceal his disappointment.
  When it is being used to talk about emotions, conceal is often used in negative statements.
- cover to place something over or in front of something in order to hide it:
  She covered her face with her hands.
- disguise to hide or change the nature of something, so that it cannot be recognized:
  He tried to disguise his accent.
- mask to hide a feeling, smell, fact, etc. so that it cannot be easily seen or noticed:
  She masked her anger with a smile.
- camouflage to hide somebody/something by making them/it look like the things around, or like something else:
  The soldiers camouflaged themselves with leaves and twigs.
Patterns
- to hide/conceal/disguise/mask something behind something
- to hide/conceal something under something
- to hide/conceal something from somebody
- to hide/conceal/disguise/mask the truth/the fact that…
- to hide/conceal/disguise/mask your feelings
Extra Examples
- He had deliberately hidden the illness from his boss.
- The government tried to hide the evidence from the public.
- The truth may well remain hidden forever.
- He made no attempt to hide his anger
- Hypnotherapy can bring out previously hidden emotions.
- She could barely hide her distaste.
- She was unable to hide her delight at his failure.
- feelings that she had kept completely hidden all these years
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- well
- completely
- barely
- …
verb + hide
- be able to
- be unable to
- try to
- …
preposition
- from
phrases
- keep something hidden
- previously hidden
- remain hidden
- …
See full entry

Word Originverb Old English hȳdan, of West Germanic origin.

Idioms

bury/hide your head in the sand

to refuse to admit that a problem exists or refuse to deal with it

cover/hide a multitude of sins

(often humorous) to hide the real situation or facts when these are not good or pleasant
- She was dressed in loose comfortable clothes that hid a multitude of sins.

hide your light under a bushel

to not let people know that you are good at something

you can run but you can't hide

used to say that whatever you do, you cannot escape the consequences of your actions

hide

noun

/haɪd/

Idioms

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[countable] (British English) a place from which people can watch wild animals or birds, without being seen by themTopics Hobbiesc2
[countable, uncountable] an animal’s skin, especially when it is bought or sold or used for leather
- boots made from buffalo hide
- a black hide belt
- The hide is tanned for leather.
Topics Animalsa2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- thick
- tough
- leathery
- …
verb + hide
- tan
See full entry
[singular] (especially North American English, informal) used to refer to somebody’s life or safety when they are in a difficult situation
- All he's worried about is his own hide (= himself).

Word Originnoun sense 1 Old English hȳdan, of West Germanic origin. noun senses 2 to 3 Old English hȳd, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch huid and German Haut.

Idioms

have/tan somebody’s hide

(old-fashioned, informal or humorous) to punish somebody severely

not see hide nor hair of somebody/something

(informal) not to see somebody/something for some time
- I haven't seen hide nor hair of her for a month.

save your (own) skin/hide/neck

to try to avoid death, punishment, etc., especially by leaving others in an extremely difficult situation
- To save his own skin, he lied and blamed the accident on his friend.