What does hider mean?
Hider is a noun meaning a person who hides or conceals something. Its most familiar use is for a player in hide-and-seek, where one participant hides and the others search. The word can also describe someone responsible for concealing a person, object, or piece of information, as in a reference to the hider of stolen documents. In less playful contexts, calling someone a hider may imply evasion or secrecy and can suggest suspicious or even unlawful conduct. The term is used in both British and American English and is generally more familiar than concealment-related alternatives when the emphasis is on the person doing the hiding. Although often humorous in children’s games, it becomes serious or negative when it refers to hiding from authorities, concealing evidence, or assisting another person’s disappearance.
nounA hider is a person who hides or conceals themself, especially a player who tries to avoid being found in a game of hide-and-seek. More broadly, the word can mean someone who conceals a person, an object, or information.
- A person who hides themself, especially a participant in a hiding game.
- A person who conceals another person, an object, or information.
"The hider waited behind the garden shed until the seekers gave up."
"The hider slipped into the old barn while the other children counted to twenty."
"The investigators were looking for the hider of the missing documents."
The regular plural of hider.
"The two hiders emerged from opposite sides of the garden."
A hider gives hide-and-seek its name: one person hides while everyone else searches.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hider come from?
Hider is an English noun formed from the verb hide and the productive suffix -er, which identifies the person performing an action. The verb hide comes from Old English hīdan and belongs to a Germanic word family; related forms include hidden, hiding, and hideout.
Related word forms
How hider is actually used
Hider is an everyday and informal noun. In games it identifies a role, while in other contexts it may suggest deliberate concealment, evasion, or secretive or illegal activity.