Did you know?
Is the word kid slang?
Some people worry that kid, when used of a child rather than a juvenile goat, is either slang or too colloquial to merit acceptance in standard English.
The fact is that we have been using kid to refer to a child that is human, rather than goatish, for more than three hundred years now. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that although this word was considered “low slang” when it first began being used, it had entered “familiar speech” by the 19th century.
In contemporary English, kid is neither slang nor improper. It is, however, most definitely informal, so those writing professionally or in a formal register might prefer to use child.
Synonyms
Examples of kid in a Sentence
Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Like their relationship, Hartnett and Egerton have kept their kids primarily out of the spotlight, however, Hartnett occasionally shares a look at his home life in interviews.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 7 Aug. 2024
Megan Vick, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2024
As a result of Kevin’s nerdiness, he gets picked last for everything at school and his parents are constantly urging him to do normal kid things.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 July 2024
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2024
Dans kidded Ramos about his lefty politics and regaled him with talk of supply-side economics and Reagan.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for kid 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near kid
Cite this Entry
“Kid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kid. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kid
2 of 2 verb
Share