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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
Tom Redman, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Alonso and his wife Haley cemented themselves as members of the community with various charity initiatives to support animals, veterans and kids.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025
Karla Pope, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2025
But that moment of enjoyment is only a brief, illusory respite from Ahmet’s laborious responsibilities herding sheep and caring for his kid brother Naim (Agush Agushev), the picture of innocence and adorableness, who hasn’t spoken since their mother died.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
Every human being, every parent, wants what’s best for their kid and wants there kid to be better than them.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for kid 
Dictionary Entries Near kid
Cite this Entry
“Kid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kid. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kid
2 of 2 verb
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