kite
IPA: kˈaɪt
noun
- A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
- Any bird of the subfamily Milvinae, with long wings and weak legs, feeding mostly on carrion and spending long periods soaring; specifically, the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the black kite (Milvus migrans).
- A bird of the genus Elanus, having thin pointed wings, that preys on rodents and hunts by hovering; also, any bird of related genera in the subfamily Elaninae.
- Some species in the subfamily Perninae.
- (figuratively) A rapacious person.
- A lightweight toy or other device, traditionally flat and shaped like a triangle with a segment of a circle attached to its base or like a quadrilateral (see sense 9), carried on the wind and tethered and controlled from the ground by one or more lines.
- A tethered object which deflects its position in a medium by obtaining lift and drag in reaction with its relative motion in the medium.
- (astrology) A planetary configuration wherein one planet of a grand trine is in opposition to an additional fourth planet.
- (banking, slang) A blank cheque; a fraudulent cheque, such as one issued even though there are insufficient funds to honour it, or one that has been altered without authorization.
- (finance, slang) An accommodation bill (“a bill of exchange endorsed by a reputable third party acting as a guarantor, as a favour and without compensation”).
- (cycling, slang) A rider who is good at climbs but less good at descents.
- (geometry) A polygon resembling the shape of a traditional toy kite (sense 3): a quadrilateral having two pairs of edges of equal length, the edges of each pair touching each other at one end.
- (military aviation, slang) An aeroplane or aircraft.
- (sailing, dated) In a square-rigged ship: originally a sail positioned above a topsail; later a lightweight sail set above the topgallants, such as a studding sail or a jib topsail.
- (sailing, slang) A spinnaker (“supplementary sail to a mainsail”).
- (Britain, dialectal) The brill (Scophthalmus rhombus), a type of flatfish.
- (US, prison slang) A (usually concealed) letter or oral message, especially one passed illegally into, within, or out of a prison.
- (Northern England, Scotland, dialectal) The stomach; the belly.
- (Egyptology) A measure of weight equivalent to ¹⁄₁₀ deben (about 0.32 ounces or 9.1 grams).
- A surname.
- A minor city in Johnson County, Georgia, United States, named after Shaderick Kight, who chose the spelling.
verb
- (transitive) To cause (something) to move upwards rapidly like a toy kite; also (chiefly US, figuratively) to cause (something, such as costs) to increase rapidly.
- (transitive, slang) To tamper with a document or record by increasing the quantity of something beyond its proper amount so that the difference may be unlawfully retained; in particular, to alter a medical prescription for this purpose by increasing the number of pills or other items.
- (transitive, video games) To keep ahead of (an enemy) in order to attack repeatedly from a distance, without exposing oneself to danger.
- (transitive, intransitive) To (cause to) glide in the manner of a kite (“bird”).
- (transitive, intransitive, rare) To manipulate like a toy kite; also, usually preceded by an inflection of go: to fly a toy kite.
- (transitive, intransitive, banking, slang) To write or present (a cheque) on an account with insufficient funds, either to defraud or expecting that funds will become available by the time the cheque clears.
- (transitive, intransitive, US, slang, by extension) To steal.
- (intransitive) To travel by kite, as when kitesurfing.
- (intransitive, figuratively) To move rapidly; to rush.
- (intransitive, engineering, nautical) To deflect sideways in the water.
- (intransitive, US, prison slang) To pass a (usually concealed) letter or oral message, especially illegally into, within, or out of a prison.
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Examples of "kite" in Sentences
No Sentences Found for kite
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