Hide Past Tense: Hid vs Hidden

First published on January 14, 2023 by Dalia Y.|Last revised on October 20, 2024

To hide is the present tense. Hid is the simple past, and hidden is the participle form of the verb hide.

What's the past tense of "hide"?

The simple past tense of hide is hid, and the past participle is hidden. Use hid for simple past tense and hidden for past participle forms.

Definition of hide

The Oxford English Dictionary defines hide as "to put or keep someone or something in a place where they cannot be seen or found." It's an irregular verb that doesn't follow the standard "-ed" pattern for past tenses.

The past tense of hide is hid.
The past participle of hide is hidden.

Verb forms of 'hide'

Simple Cont. Perfect Perfect Cont.

Present

I/you/they hide • He/she/it hides

Past

I/you/they hid • He/she/it hid

Future

I/you/they will hide • He/she/it will hide

Present

I am/you are hiding • He/she/it is hiding

Past

I was/you were hiding • He/she/it was hiding

Future

I/you will be hiding • He/she/it will be hiding

Present

I/you have hidden • He/she/it has hidden

Past

I/you had hidden • He/she/it had hidden

Future

I/you will have hidden • He/she/it will have hidden

Present

I have been hiding • He/she/it has been hiding

Past

I had been hiding • He/she/it had been hiding

Future

I will have been hiding • He/she/it will have been hiding

Is "hide" a regular or irregular verb?

The verb hide is irregular. Its past tense form is hid and past participle form is hidden, not "hided" or "hiden." This follows the common irregular verb pattern where the vowel changes and the past participle adds "-en."

When to use hid vs. hidden

He hid the letter in a drawer.

No wonder he had hidden his feelings for so long.

The verb hide uses different forms for simple past tense and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so hid can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Similar irregular verbs

hide

Past: hid

Past part: hidden

Sentence examples: hide, hid, hidden

Hide (present tense)

• She hides herself away in her office all day.

• I have never tried to hide the truth about my past.

• The cat hides under the sofa when visitors arrive.

Hid (past simple)

• He hid the book under his bed.

• They hid me from the police in their attic.

• The child hid behind the curtain during the game.

Hidden (present or past perfect)

• The little porch was hidden from view by a screen of roses.

• Hypnotherapy can bring out previously hidden emotions.

• She had hidden the birthday gift so well that it took an hour to find it.

Synonyms & nearby words

Synonyms for hide

conceal cover disguise mask obscure shield suppress camouflage veil secrete

Nearby phrases

hide away hide out hide behind hide from hide in plain sight hide one's face hide and seek hide under

Practice: "Hide" conjugations

FAQs

What is the past tense of "hide"?

The past tense of "hide" is "hid."

What is the past participle of "hide"?

The past participle of "hide" is "hidden."

Is "hide" a regular or irregular verb?

"Hide" is an irregular verb; its past forms are not made by adding -ed.

When should I use "hid"?

Use "hid" for simple past actions, referring to something that happened and finished in the past.

When should I use "hidden"?

Use "hidden" with auxiliary verbs like "has," "have," or "had" to form perfect tenses.

Sources

Nordquist, Richard. "Perfect Aspect of Verb Construction." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, https://www.thoughtco.com/perfect-aspect-1691604.
"Hide." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hide. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.