kid

kid — noun

1. a young person who is not yet an adult; one's own offspring when referred to inf

1.名詞A1
釋義

a young person who is not yet an adult; one's own offspring when referred to informally, regardless of how old they are.

例句

Hoa's kids are building a sandcastle near the beach.

possessive + kids for someone's children

The kids in our apartment complex play soccer at the park every Saturday afternoon.

the kids for children in general

同義詞
  • child

    more formal; preferred in written and official contexts

  • youngster

    slightly informal; emphasizes youth rather than family relation

  • toddler

    specifically a child learning to walk, not interchangeable

反義詞
  • adult

    a grown-up person; opposite in age and legal status

文法句型

possessive + kid(s)

用法筆記

Much more common than 'child' in everyday spoken English. Use 'child' in formal writing.

常見錯誤

❌He is a kid of five years old.
✅He is a five-year-old kid.
💡Adjective order: age before 'kid'.
❌The kid is very formal.
✅The child is very formal.
💡'Kid' is too informal for formal registers.

2. a young person, especially someone in their late teens or twenties, who is no lo

2.名詞A2
釋義

a young person, especially someone in their late teens or twenties, who is no longer a child.

例句

College kids often stay up late studying for their final exams.

college kids for university students

The café was full of kids in their twenties chatting about travel.

同義詞
  • young person

    neutral and more formal; no age ceiling implied

  • teenager

    specifically ages thirteen to nineteen

反義詞
  • adult

    a fully grown person; opposite in maturity and age

文法句型

modifier + kids

those/these + kids

用法筆記

Used affectionately or dismissively for people in their teens through twenties. Can sound patronizing if used for a professional adult.

常見錯誤

❌The kids in the office are fifty years old.
✅The people in the office are fifty years old.
💡'Kid' for someone over thirty can be disrespectful.

3. someone's younger brother or sister — only used directly before the words 'broth

3.名詞B1
釋義

someone's younger brother or sister — only used directly before the words 'brother' or 'sister'.

例句

Renata taught her kid sister how to make chocolate chip cookies.

possessive + kid sister for younger sister

My kid brother stayed up late playing video games last night.

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

possessive + kid + brother/sister

用法筆記

Only used attributively before 'brother' or 'sister' ('kid brother', 'kid sister'). Not used in other constructions (*'She is my kid.' to mean younger sibling).

常見錯誤

❌My kid is ten years younger than me.
✅My kid brother is ten years younger than me.
💡Without 'brother' or 'sister', 'my kid' means 'my child', not 'my younger sibling'.

4. a person, especially an older adult, who enjoys things that are typically though

4.名詞B2
釋義

a person, especially an older adult, who enjoys things that are typically thought of as being for the young — like video games, pop music, or trendy clothes — and keeps a lively, playful outlook.

例句

Grandpa Emre is such a kid when it comes to new technology gadgets.

such a kid for youthful attitude

The retired nurse is a real kid, always playing games with the children.

同義詞
  • young at heart

    adjectival phrase meaning the same thing; 'My grandfather is young at heart.'

反義詞
  • old soul

    someone who seems mature beyond their years; opposite direction of mismatch

文法句型

be a (real) kid

be a kid at heart

用法筆記

Often humorous or affectionate. Common in the fixed expression 'a kid at heart.' Can describe someone who tries too hard to seem young, with a slightly teasing tone.

5. being so pleased and excited about something that one acts with the simple, live

5.名詞B2
釋義

being so pleased and excited about something that one acts with the simple, lively happiness typical of a child, which may look silly to other people.

例句

Sophia was like a kid in a candy store at the giant book fair.

like a kid in a candy store — fixed simile

When Hoa saw the puppies at the shelter, he was like a kid at Christmas.

like a kid at Christmas — fixed simile

文法句型

like a kid

be like a kid in a/the [happy place]

用法筆記

Always used in a comparison structure: 'like a kid.' The full simile 'like a kid in a candy store' is a very common fixed expression.

常見錯誤

❌I felt a kid in a candy store.
✅I felt like a kid in a candy store.
💡The comparison word 'like' is required.

6. a young goat that is less than one year old.

6.名詞B1
釋義

a young goat that is less than one year old.

例句

The newborn kid stood up on its shaky legs within just a few minutes.

newborn kid for a very young goat

The farm's newborn kid wobbled on long legs before collapsing into the hay.

反義詞

7. a smooth, high-quality material obtained from baby goats and used for making sof

7.名詞C1
釋義

a smooth, high-quality material obtained from baby goats and used for making soft gloves, shoes, and jackets.

例句

Élise found a beautiful pair of soft kid leather gloves at the market stall.

kid leather + noun for material compound

The brown kid leather jacket felt incredibly smooth against Christopher's skin.

同義詞
  • kidskin

    a less common single-word alternative for the same material

文法句型

kid leather + noun (material compound)

made of kid leather

用法筆記

Almost always used as a compound modifier before a noun ('kid leather gloves', 'kid leather jacket'). The single word 'kid' alone rarely refers to the material ('The gloves are made of kid.' is possible but dated).

常見錯誤

❌kid skin
✅kid leather' or 'kidskin
💡The material is always called 'kid leather' or 'kidskin', not 'kid skin'.

kid — verb

kid — adjective