Meaning & use
kidded
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“kidded” is a form of “kid”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
past tense of 'kid': joked or said something untrue as a joke
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: 'I kidded him' or 'I was only kidding'.
Patterns
- kid someone
- kid about something
- just kidding
I kidded him about his new haircut, but he knew I was joking.
She kidded that she was moving to Mars, and everyone laughed.
We kidded around all afternoon instead of working.
verbtransitive
past tense of 'kid': deceived someone playfully or seriously
Grammar: Takes an object: 'He kidded me into thinking...' Often used in the passive: 'I was only kidding.'
Patterns
- kid someone into doing something
- be kidding
He kidded me into believing the test was canceled.
Don't be kidded by his innocent smile; he's a prankster.
I was just kidded by my friends; they didn't mean any harm.
Word forms
| base form | kid |
|---|---|
| third person singular | kids |
| present participle | kidding |
| past tense | kidded |
| past participle | kidded |
Common combinations
- just kidded
- I just kidded about quitting; I'm not really leaving.
- kidded around
- The students kidded around until the teacher arrived.
- kidded someone about something
- She kidded her brother about his new glasses.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: kidded or kidnapped?
kidded vs kidnapped
This means taken away illegally; it is completely different from 'kidded', which is about joking.
Practice
Choose the correct form: She ______ me that she had won the lottery, but it was a joke.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'kidded' is needed to match the past time in the sentence. 'Kid' is the base form, 'kidding' is the -ing form, and 'kids' is the third-person singular present, none of which fit the past tense context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kidded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.