# hide

/ˈhaɪd/ (US) · /hˈaɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hide
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to conceal something

verb · CEFR A2

to put something in a place where people cannot see it or find it.

For teachers: to put something in a location where it is out of sight or difficult to discover; transitive in use.

- He tried to hide the broken vase behind the sofa before his parents came home.
- The smugglers had managed to hide the illicit goods within a false compartment in the truck's floorbed, evading the initial customs inspection.

### 2. to stay out of sight

verb · CEFR A2

to go to a place where you cannot be seen or found.

For teachers: to position oneself in a location where one is out of sight; intransitive in use.

- The children like to hide in the tall grass during their games.
- The fugitive managed to hide in the dense forest for three days, successfully avoiding the search parties and aerial drones.

### 3. animal skin

noun · CEFR B2

the skin of a large animal, especially when it is used to make leather.

For teachers: the skin of an animal, either raw or treated for use as leather.

- The hunters traded the deer hides for supplies at the local market.
- The artisan carefully treated the cow hide to ensure the resulting leather would be supple enough for high-end upholstery.

### 4. wildlife observation post

noun · CEFR B2 · British English

a small, covered shelter used to watch birds or animals without them seeing you.

For teachers: a camouflaged structure or shelter designed to allow hunters or naturalists to observe wildlife undetected.

- We spent the morning in a wooden hide by the lake, watching the herons.
- From the bird hide, the researchers were able to document the nesting habits of the rare species without causing any distress to the colony.

### 5. historical land unit

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

an old English unit of land that was enough to support one family.

For teachers: a historical English unit of land area and tax assessment, traditionally considered sufficient to support one household.

- The ancient document recorded that the village was worth five hides of land.
- Domesday Book entries often categorised manors by the number of hides they contained, reflecting their productive capacity for taxation purposes.

## Examples

- I need to hide the presents before the children come home.
- The small rabbit tried to hide in the tall grass to avoid being seen by the hawk.
- The witness chose to hide her true identity for years, fearing that coming forward would put her family in immediate danger from the local authorities.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.