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

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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

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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
Three other people, including one minor, were in the home and hid as Gordon searched for them. Nick Parker, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 The interior layout is carefully designed so that the keel structure remains hidden. Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024 Read the full Gemini Daily Horoscope Cancer (June 22 - July 22) Trying to hide from your problems? USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 The gun actually belonged to the dad, the defense argued, was only to be used with the dad at a shooting range and was hidden in a bedroom armoire, unloaded, with the bullets tucked in a separate drawer. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 The trio eventually meet a group of alien-human hybrids (Katherine Heigl, Jason Behr and Brendon Fehr) and help keep their extraterrestrial friends hidden from the government. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 With a core user base accustomed to hiding behind pseudonyms, employees never quite understood how to encourage people to go live. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 Last weekend, the palace released a picture of her and her children, which turned out to have been digitally altered, only increasing the online clamor over what the monarchy might be hiding. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 Its incredibly glossy exterior—the smoothest surface in the solar system—hides a vast liquid ocean underneath. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
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 When incorporating wood cabinets, double down with sophisticated natural accents like leather and hides, rattan, stone, and minerals. Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Dec. 2023 That overabundance of bacteria wreaks havoc on the host deer’s hide. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024 Gerstein painted the base of Lively's nails in the shade and then transitioned to the giraffe print French manicure, dotting the tips of Lively's nails with those instantly recognizable blobs of color like a giraffe's hide. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 14 Feb. 2024 It was mostly comprised of legs — many of them tagged with what appeared to be hunting license and confirmation numbers — as well as stomachs, livers, hides, tails, and pieces of garbage. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 21 Dec. 2023

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 29 Mar. 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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