Definition

Noun: A children's game in which one player (the seeker) closes their eyes and counts while the other players hide. After counting, the seeker opens their eyes and attempts to find the hidden players.

Usage

This word is used as a noun to refer to the specific game. It is typically used in informal contexts. * The children spent the afternoon playing hide-and-seek in the garden. * Do you remember how to play hide-and-seek?

Advanced Usage

• "to play (a game of) hide-and-seek": This is the standard construction for describing participation in the game.
  • Let's play a game of hide-and-seek.
• Figuratively, the concept can describe situations involving evasion or secrecy, though this is an extension of the core meaning.
  • The company has been playing hide-and-seek with the tax authorities for years.

Variants and Related Words

• Hide-and-go-seek (noun): A common variant name for the same game.
• Seeker (noun): The player who searches for the others.
• Hider (noun): A player who conceals themselves.

Synonyms

• Peekaboo (noun): A different, simpler game for very young children, where one person hides their face and then reveals it.
• Tag (noun): Another common children's chasing game, but with different rules.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "A game of cat and mouse": An idiom describing a situation of constant pursuit and evasion, similar to the figurative use of hide-and-seek but often with a more strategic or adversarial connotation.
  • The detective was engaged in a tense game of cat and mouse with the suspect.

Noun

1. a game in which a child covers his eyes while the other players hide then tries to find them