A kid is a child or young person, especially one between early childhood and the teenage years. When adults talk about “the kids,” they usually mean children in general. You might say “the kids in my class” or “my neighbor's kids.”

The word has a casual, friendly feeling to it. Teachers might say “Good morning, kids!” instead of the more formal “Good morning, children.” Parents often call their own sons and daughters their kids, no matter how old they get: “I'm visiting my kids this weekend” (even if those kids are 40 years old!).

The word also means a young goat, and you'll still hear it used that way on farms or in stories. Baby goats are playful and energetic, jumping and climbing on everything.

Kid can also be a verb meaning to tease or joke with someone in a playful way. If your friend says something hard to believe, you might ask, “Are you kidding me?” When someone kids around, they're being playful, not mean. If you tell your sister you ate her Halloween candy and then say, “Just kidding!” you're letting her know it was a joke.