# kite

/ˈkaɪt/ (US) · /kˈaɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/kite
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. flying toy

noun · CEFR A2

a light frame covered with paper or cloth that you fly in the air on the end of a long string.

For teachers: a light frame covered with thin material, designed to be flown in the wind at the end of a long tether.

- The children took their kite to the beach because it was a windy day.
- The festival featured hundreds of traditional kites, ranging from simple diamond shapes to elaborate silk dragons that required multiple handlers.

### 3. geometric shape

noun · CEFR B2

a flat shape with four sides where the two top sides are the same length and the two bottom sides are the same length.

For teachers: a quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent sides that are equal in length.

- In geometry class, we learned how to calculate the area of a kite.
- The architect utilised a series of interlocking kites in the floor tiling pattern to create a sense of dynamic movement across the lobby.

### 4. aircraft

noun · CEFR C2 · Informal · British English

a casual or old-fashioned word for an aeroplane.

For teachers: an informal or slang term for an aircraft, particularly used in military or early aviation contexts.

- The old pilot still referred to his small plane as a sturdy little kite.
- During the briefing, the squadron leader expressed concerns about sending such outdated kites into a modern combat zone.

### 5. bad cheque

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang

a cheque written for an amount of money that is not actually in the bank account.

For teachers: a fraudulent cheque or bill of exchange used to obtain credit or cash without sufficient underlying funds.

- The shopkeeper realised the man was trying to pass a kite and called the police.
- The investigation revealed a sophisticated scheme involving several kites used to artificially inflate the company's apparent cash reserves.

### 6. to fly or move quickly

verb · CEFR B2

to move upwards very quickly or to travel using a kite.

For teachers: to cause to move upwards rapidly or to travel by means of kite-traction, as in kitesurfing.

- The price of the tickets kited as the concert date got closer.
- We spent the afternoon kiting across the bay, enjoying the steady breeze and the lack of other boats.

### 7. to lead or lure

verb · CEFR C1 · Slang

to make an enemy follow you, usually to pull them away from their friends or into a trap.

For teachers: to attack an opponent from a distance while staying out of reach, or to lure an enemy into a specific location.

- In the video game, I had to kite the monster away from the rest of my team.
- The player successfully kited the boss around the arena, slowly depleting its health while avoiding any direct confrontation.

## Examples

- The children fly a red kite in the park.
- We spent the afternoon on the beach flying a large diamond-shaped kite.
- The vibrant kite danced against the grey sky, its long tail trailing behind like a ribbon in the wind.

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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.