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hide 1 (hīd)
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v. hid (hĭd), hid·den (hĭdn) or hid, hid·ing, hides
v.tr.
1. To put or keep out of sight or away from notice: hid the money in a sock.
2. To prevent the disclosure or recognition of; conceal: tried to hide the facts.
3. To cut off from sight; cover up: Clouds hid the stars. See Synonyms at block.
4. To avert (one's gaze), especially in shame or grief.
v.intr.
1. To keep oneself out of sight or notice.
2. To seek refuge or respite: "no place to hide from boredom or anger or loneliness" (Matt Teague).
Phrasal Verbs:
hide behind
To keep from being criticized or caught doing wrong by making use or mention of (something), especially as an excuse: "[She] said she would not hide behind political euphemism when discussing taxes" (William Yardley).
hide out
To be in hiding, as from a pursuer: The gangsters hid out in a remote cabin until it was safe to return to the city.
[Middle English hiden, from Old English hȳdan; see (s)keu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: hide1, conceal, secrete2, cache, cloak
These verbs mean to keep from the sight or knowledge of others. Hide and conceal are the most general and are often used interchangeably: I used a throw rug to hide (or conceal) the stain on the carpet. I smiled to hide (or conceal) my hurt feelings.
Secrete and cache involve concealment in a place unknown to others; cache often implies storage for later use: The lioness secreted her cubs in the tall grass. The mountain climbers cached their provisions in a cave.
To cloak is to conceal something by masking or disguising it: "On previously cloaked issues, the Soviets have suddenly become forthcoming" (John McLaughlin). See Also Synonyms at block.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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