hide

¹

[hahyd]

verb (used with object)

hid, hidden, hid, hiding. 

1. to conceal from sight; prevent from being seen or discovered.

   Where did she hide her jewels?

   Synonyms: disguise, shroud, veil, cloak, mask, screen
   Antonyms: display, reveal

2. to obstruct the view of; cover up.

   The sun was hidden by the clouds.

3. to conceal from knowledge or exposure; keep secret.

   to hide one's feelings.

   Synonyms: suppress, dissemble, disguise

verb (used without object)

hid, hidden, hid, hiding. 

1. to conceal oneself; lie concealed.

   He hid in the closet.

noun

1. British.,  a place of concealment for hunting or observing wildlife; hunting blind.

verb phrase

1. hide out,  to go into or remain in hiding.

   After breaking out of jail, he hid out in a deserted farmhouse.

hide

²

[hahyd]

noun

1. the pelt or skin of one of the larger animals (cow, horse, buffalo, etc.), raw or dressed.

2. Informal.

   1. the skin of a human being.

      Get out of here or I'll tan your hide!

   2. safety or welfare.

      He's only worried about his own hide.

3. Australia and New Zealand Informal.,  impertinence; impudence.

verb (used with object)

hided, hiding 

1. Informal.,  to administer a beating to; thrash.

2. to protect (a rope, as a boltrope of a sail) with a covering of leather.

hide

³

[hahyd]

noun

Old English Law.

1. a unit of land measurement varying from 60 to 120 acres (24 to 49 hectares) or more, depending upon local usage.

hide

¹

/ haɪd /

verb

1. to put or keep (oneself or an object) in a secret place; conceal (oneself or an object) from view or discovery

   to hide a pencil

   to hide from the police

2. (tr) to conceal or obscure

   the clouds hid the sun

3. (tr) to keep secret

4. (tr) to turn (one's head, eyes, etc) away

noun

1. US and Canadian equivalent: blind. a place of concealment, usually disguised to appear as part of the natural environment, used by hunters, birdwatchers, etc

hide

²

/ haɪd /

noun

1. the skin of an animal, esp the tough thick skin of a large mammal, either tanned or raw

2. informal,  the human skin

3. informal,  impudence

verb

1. informal,  (tr) to flog

hide

³

/ haɪd /

noun

1. an obsolete Brit unit of land measure, varying in magnitude from about 60 to 120 acres

Other Word Forms

• hider noun
• hidable adjective
• hideless adjective
• hidability noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hide¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hiden, Old English hȳdan; cognate with Old Frisian hūda; akin to Greek keúthein “to hide”; hide ² ( def. )

Origin of hide²

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hȳd; cognate with Dutch huid, Old Norse hūth, Danish, Swedish hud, Old High German hūt ( German Haut ); akin to Latin cutis “skin,” Greek kýtos “hollow, container”; cutis, hide ¹

Origin of hide³

First recorded before 900; Middle English hide, Old English hīd(e), hīg(i)d “portion of land, family,” from Germanic hīwidō; akin to Latin cīvis “citizen,” Greek keîsthai “to lie down, rest, remain, abide”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hide¹

Old English hӯdan; related to Old Frisian hēda, Middle Low German hüden, Greek keuthein

Origin of hide²

Old English hӯd; related to Old Norse hūth, Old Frisian hēd, Old High German hūt, Latin cutis skin, Greek kutos; see _cuticle

Origin of hide³

Old English hīgid; related to hīw family, household, Latin cīvis citizen

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hide nor hair, a trace or evidence, as of something missing: Also hide or hair.

   They didn't find hide nor hair of the murder weapon.

More idioms and phrases containing hide

• cover one's ass (hide)
• tan one's hide

Synonym Study

Hide, conceal, secrete mean to put out of sight or in a secret place. Hide is the general word: to hide one's money or purpose; A dog hides a bone. Conceal, somewhat more formal, is to cover from sight: A rock concealed them from view. Secrete means to put away carefully, in order to keep secret: The spy secreted the important papers.

See skin.

Example Sentences

"The hat with the wide brim that hides her face is pointing to a stance where she wants all eyes on her husband and his agenda while here," Kwei added.

From BBC

Describing the alleged hidden note at a news conference earlier on Tuesday, Mr Gray said Mr Robinson had sent a text message to his roommate reading: "Drop what you're doing, look under my keyboard."

From BBC

In 2012, he starred and directed “The Company You Keep,” playing a former Weather Underground militant in hiding for 30 years.

From Los Angeles Times

With grand banking halls based on those from Soane's building hidden off the corridor, occasional echoing thuds and bangs are the main reminder of the working nature of the building.

From BBC

Among the achievements of the round-the-clock unit have been finding a £10,000 stolen watch and a suspect trying to hide from them in a bin.

From BBC

Related Words

• bury 
• camouflage 
• cover 
• disguise 
• hole up 
• mask 
• obscure 
• plant 
• protect 
• shelter 
• shield 
• smuggle 
• stash 
• suppress 
• tuck away 
• withhold