Kite
Last Updated: January 2, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Scrabble:8 ptsWWF:8 pts4 letters
Definition of Kite
Noun
- A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
"A pair of kites built a nest on the cliff."
- 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.
- A rapacious person.
Verb
- To cause (something) to move upwards rapidly like a toy kite; also to cause (something, such as costs) to increase rapidly.
"Rising interest rates have kited the cost of housing."
- 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.
- <!-- {{lb|en|transitive|video games}} -->To keep ahead of (an enemy) and repeatedly attack it from a distance, without exposing oneself to danger.
- <!-- {{lb|en|transitive|video games}} -->To attack (an enemy) or otherwise cause it to give chase, so as to lead it somewhere (like a kite is led on a string), for example into a trap or ambush or away from its comrades or something it was protecting.
"I hate it when my knight is kited away from the castle that I'm attacking!"
- To (cause to) glide in the manner of a kite (“bird”).
"The wind kited us toward shore."