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lid

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A movable top or cover for closing the opening at the top of a box, chest, jar.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

lid
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈlɪd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A movable top or cover (hinged or separate) for closing the opening at the top of a box, chest, jar, pan, etc.

  2. The top or cover of a container.

  3. slang

    A cap or hat.

  4. figurative

    A restraint or control, as when "putting a lid" on something.

  5. slang

    One ounce of cannabis.

  6. A thin skin membrane that covers and moves over an eye.

verb

  1. transitive

    To put a lid on (something).

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A movable top or cover (hinged or separate) for closing the opening at the top of a box, chest, jar, pan, etc.

Used this way, lid is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Top

box lid

Thin

lower lid

Other combinations

trunk lidupper lidlid marginfitting lidcoffin lidplastic lid

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: movable top or cover (hinged

hat

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.