A kite is an object, usually used as a toy, which is flown in the air. It consists of a light frame covered with paper or cloth and has a long string attached which you hold while the kite is flying.
2. countable noun
A kite is a bird of prey which hunts and kills small animals for food.
3.
See fly a kite
4.
See as high as a kite
kite in British English1
(kaɪt)
noun
1.
a light frame covered with a thin material flown in the wind at the end of a length of string
2. British slang
an aeroplane
3. (plural) nautical
any of various light sails set in addition to the working sails of a vessel
4.
any diurnal bird of prey of the genera Milvus, Elanus, etc, typically having a long forked tail and long broad wings and usually preying on small mammals and insects: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc)
5. archaic
a person who preys on others
6. business
a negotiable paper drawn without any actual transaction or assets and designed to obtain money on credit, give an impression of affluence, etc
7. fly a kite
8. high as a kite
verb
9.
to issue (fictitious papers) to obtain credit or money
10. (transitive) US and Canadian
to write (a cheque) in anticipation of sufficient funds to cover it
11. (intransitive)
to soar and glide
Derived forms
kiter (ˈkiter)
noun
Word origin
Old English cӯta; related to Middle High German küze owl, Old Norse kӯta to quarrel
kite in British English2
(kəɪt)
noun
a variant spelling of kyte
kite in American English
(kaɪt)
noun
1.
any of various accipitrine birds with long, pointed wings and, usually, a forkedtail: they prey esp. on insects, reptiles, and small mammals
2. Chiefly British
a greedy, grasping person
3.
a light frame, usually of wood, covered with paper, cloth, or plastic, to be flown in the wind at the end of a string
4. [pl.]
the topmost sails of a ship, for use in a light breeze
5.
a bad check or similar fictitious or worthless financial instrument used to raise money or maintain credit temporarily
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈkited or ˈkiting
6. Informal
a.
to fly like a kite; soar
b.
to move lightly and rapidly
7.
to get money or credit by using bad checks, etc.
verb transitive
8.
to issue (a bad check, etc.) as a kite
Idioms:
go fly a kite!
Word origin
ME < OE cyta, akin to MLowG kuten, to gossip < IE echoic base *gou-, to scream > Gr goan, to moan
More idioms containing
kite
high as a kite
fly a kite
Examples of 'kite' in a sentence
kite
He uses a special kite to pull him along on a board.
The Sun (2006)
Set up your kite with the wind at your back.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Red kites are vulnerable to poisoning.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Yes, this is a film that uses kites as a metaphor for love.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Red kites were hunting on the heights, their outstretched wings fluttering long feathery fingers.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We were equally thrilled to see our first red kite here in Berkshire a few years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He also dreams of learning kite surfing, which uses a large kite attached to the surfer.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There are a good thousand pairs of nesting red kites in Britain.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
For many years Norwegians have used basic kites to be pulled along on skis by the wind.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He was also involved in the reintroduction of red kite around Inverness.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
A red kite hangs motionless in the sky.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Red kites are building their massive nests in the tops of oak trees, usually in a dense wood.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Its reliable surf makes it popular with wind surfers and kite surfers but the swells are not so big as to put off first-timers.
The Sun (2014)
Great for walks, bird watching, kite flying and getting a dose of fresh air.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Recently, I had an accident while testing a new kite in strong winds.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
THE flying of stunt kites has been banned at Blackpool after a woman walking her dog became entangled in a string and was dragged to the ground.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The sport, which involves riding waves with the help of a huge kite to catch wind, claimed another victim along the same coast last summer.
The Sun (2007)
Word lists with
kite
prey
In other languages
kite
British English: kite /kaɪt/ NOUN
A kite is an object consisting of a light frame covered with paper or cloth, which you fly in the air at the end of a long string.
He asked if I'd ever flown a kite before.
American English: kite
Arabic: طَائِرَةٌ وَرَقِيَّةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: pipa
Chinese: 风筝
Croatian: zmaj
Czech: drak papírový
Danish: drage til leg
Dutch: vlieger
European Spanish: cometa juguete
Finnish: leija
French: cerf-volant
German: Drachen
Greek: χαρταετός
Italian: aquilone
Japanese: 凧
Korean: 연
Norwegian: drage leke
Polish: latawiec
European Portuguese: papagaio de papel
Romanian: zmeu
Russian: воздушный змей
Latin American Spanish: cometa Juguete
Swedish: glada fågel
Thai: ว่าว
Turkish: uçurtma
Ukrainian: повітряний змій
Vietnamese: diều
All related terms of 'kite'
box kite
a kite with a boxlike frame open at both ends
kite-like
resembling a kite
red kite
a large rare bird of prey , Milvus milvus , of parts of Europe and Africa: family Accipitridae
black kite
a bird of prey , Milvus migrans , found in much of Eurasia
kite flying
the practice of drawing cheques on deposits which are already committed , assuming that the delay in clearing the cheque will allow time to replenish the account
stunt kite
a kite held by two hands and having two lines
fly a kite
If you say that someone is flying a kite , you are critical of them for putting forward new ideas just to see how people react , rather than with the intention of putting those ideas into practice.
kite balloon
a barrage balloon intended for use in information-gathering and observation; it is usually tethered to the ground and has lobes to keep it stable and pointing into the wind
kite fighting
a game, popular in Asia , in which one player attempts to cut the string of an opponent's kite with the string of his or her own
go fly a kite
go away
high as a kite
very excited
as high as a kite
If you say that someone is as high as a kite , you mean that they are very excited or that they are greatly affected by alcohol or drugs .
power kiting
an activity in which a person, sitting in a small buggy or wearing skis , etc, is propelled by the wind power generated by a large kite to which he or she is attached by ropes