noun
kite
kyt
noun
1
A bird of prey with long wings and a forked tail, known for gliding and soaring.
"A red kite circled slowly above the valley."
2
A light frame covered in fabric or plastic, flown on a string in the wind for fun.
"The children ran along the beach flying a bright red kite."
"Strong winds made it easy to get the kite airborne."
verb
1
To write or use a cheque against an account that doesn't have enough money to cover it.
"He was arrested for kiting cheques across three different banks."
2
To rise or increase rapidly, especially used of costs or prices.
"Fuel prices kited after the supply disruption."
How to Use Kite
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the soaring bird of prey, the wind-flown toy named after it, or (as a verb) writing a bad cheque or causing something to shoot upward.
Common pairings
fly a kite
kite flying
kite a cheque
Word Forms
kited past tense, kites plural, kites plural, kite plural, Kites plural, kites singular
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A red _____ circled slowly above the valley.
Etymology
From Old English cyta, the name for the bird itself. The toy sense came later, named after the bird because a flying kite hovers and glides through the air in a similar way.