/ haɪd; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb ( hid / hɪd; NAmE / hid·den / ˈhɪdn; NAmE /)
1.
[ vn ] to put or keep sb/sth in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found
SYN conceal :
He hid the letter in a drawer.
I keep my private papers hidden.
They hid me from the police in their attic.
2.
to go somewhere where you hope you will not be seen or found :
[ v ]
Quick, hide!
I hid under the bed.
( figurative )
He hid behind a false identity.
[ vn ]
She hides herself away in her office all day.
3.
[ vn ] to cover sth so that it cannot be seen
SYN conceal :
He hid his face in his hands.
The house was hidden by trees.
No amount of make-up could hide her age.
4.
[ vn ] to keep sth secret, especially your feelings
SYN conceal :
She struggled to hide her disappointment.
I have never tried to hide the truth about my past.
They claim that they have nothing to hide (= there was nothing wrong or illegal about what they did) .
She felt sure the letter had some hidden meaning .
•
IDIOMS
- hide your light under a bushel
—more at head noun , multitude
■ noun
1.
[ C ] ( BrE ) a place from which people can watch wild animals or birds, without being seen by them
2.
[ C , U ] an animal's skin, especially when it is bought or sold or used for leather :
boots made from buffalo hide
3.
[ sing. ] ( informal , especially NAmE ) used to refer to sb's life or safety when they are in a difficult situation :
All he's worried about is his own hide (= himself) .
She'd do anything to save her own hide .
•
IDIOMS
- have / tan sb's hide
- not see hide nor hair of sb/sth
••
SYNONYMS
hide
conceal ♦ cover ♦ disguise ♦ mask ♦ camouflage
These words all mean to put or keep sb/sth 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 sb/sth in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found; to keep sth secret, especially your feelings:
He hid the letter in a drawer.
•
She managed to hide her disappointment.
conceal
( formal ) to hide sb/sth; to keep sth secret:
The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster.
•
Tim could barely conceal his disappointment.
NOTE
When it is being used to talk about emotions, conceal is often used in negative statements.
cover
to place sth over or in front of sth in order to hide it:
She covered her face with her hands.
disguise
to hide or change the nature of sth, 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 sb/sth by making them / it look like the things around, or like sth else:
The soldiers camouflaged themselves with leaves and twigs.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to hide / conceal / disguise / mask / camouflage sth behind sth
to hide / conceal sth under sth
to hide / conceal sth from sb
to hide / conceal / disguise / mask the truth / the fact that...
to hide / conceal the evidence
to hide / conceal / cover your face / mouth / nose / knees, etc.
to hide / conceal / cover / disguise / mask your feelings
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun sense 1 Old English hӯdan , of West Germanic origin.
noun senses 2 to 3 and idsym. Old English hӯd , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch huid and German Haut .