kid

When the word "kid" is used as a verb, it means to tease or joke around with someone.

• He’s not serious. He’s just kidding.
• The manager of the store always kids the employees about how hard they work.
• You shouldn’t kid her about the way she looks. She’s very sensitive.
• Mike said that he was just kidding around, but the women he worked with took offense in what he said, so he was fired.

The word "kid" is also used as a noun. A kid is a young person, usually someone under the age of 18 or someone who seems young to an older person. Parents often use the word "kid" to describe their children no matter what age they are:

• Martha has three kids. Her son is eleven years old, and her daughters are fifteen and twenty-three.
• Do you have any kids? How many kids do you have?
• A group of kids at the park played hide-and-seek.
• Sarah wants to find a job that involves working with kids.
• They were just kids when they got married. He was 20 and she was 19.

Sometimes adults use the word "kiddo" when directly addressing a young person. This is generally regarded as a term of endearment:

• Hey, kiddo. Come over here. I want to talk to you.
• How are you doing today, kiddo?
• Be careful on the roads, kiddo. There are a lot of crazy drivers out there.

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November 17, 2012