/ kaɪt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a toy made of a light frame covered with paper, cloth, etc., that you fly in the air at the end of one or more long strings :
to fly a kite
2.
a bird of prey (= a bird that kills other creatures for food) of the hawk family
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IDIOMS
see fly verb , high adjective
■ verb
[ vn ] ( NAmE , informal ) to use an illegal cheque to obtain money or to dishonestly change the amount written on a cheque :
to kite checks
check kiting
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English cӯta (as a noun in sense 2); probably of imitative origin and related to German Kauz screech owl. The toy was so named because it hovers in the air like the bird.