/ lɪd; NAmE / noun
1.
a cover over a container that can be removed or opened by turning it or lifting it :
a dustbin lid
I can't get the lid off this jar.
—picture at jar , grand piano
2.
= eyelid
•
IDIOMS
- keep a / the lid on sth
- lift the lid on sth | take / blow the lid off sth
- put the (tin) lid on sth / things
—more at flip verb
••
SYNONYMS
lid
top ♦ cork ♦ cap ♦ plug ♦ stopper
These are all words for a cover for a container.
lid
a cover over a container that can be removed or opened by turning or lifting it:
a jar with a tight-fitting lid
top
a thing that you put over the end of sth such as a pen or bottle in order to close it
cork
a small round object made of cork or plastic that is used for closing bottles, especially wine bottles
cap
(often in compounds) a top for a pen or a protective cover for sth such as the lens of a camera
plug
a round piece of material that you put into a hole in order to block it; a flat round rubber or plastic thing that you put into the hole of a sink in order to stop the water from flowing out:
a bath plug.
NOTE
In American English, the word plug is also used to mean a stopper:
a bottle with a glass plug
stopper
an object that fits into the top of a bottle to close it:
a bottle with a glass stopper
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
an airtight lid / top / cap / plug / stopper
a tight-fitting lid / top / cap
a screw top / cap
a pen lid / top
a bottle top / stopper
to put on / screw on / take off / unscrew the lid / top / cap
to pull out the cork / plug / stopper
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English hlid , of Germanic origin, from a base meaning cover; related to Dutch lid .