jibe
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with or without object)
verb (used without object)
-
to shift from one side to the other when running before the wind, as a fore-and-aft sail or its boom.
-
to alter course so that a fore-and-aft sail shifts in this manner.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
verb
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jibe1
An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; origin uncertain
Origin of jibe3
First recorded in 1685–95; variant of gybe, from Dutch gijben, more commonly gijpen
Explanation
To jibe with someone is to agree with them. Jibe can also mean “be compatible with or similar to.” If two people jibe, they get along quite well. A jibe can also be an insulting remark as another way to spell gibe. If someone directs that kind of jibe at you, the best response is a really good comeback. And in nautical terminology, jibe refers to a particular manner of changing the course of a ship. How did this word come to have such different meanings? Your guess is as good as ours. Just try to remember that if you want to jibe with others, don’t insult them.
Vocabulary lists containing jibe
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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The Color of Water
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They opened Jibe, a marina coffeehouse just a few hundred yards from their dock.
From Seattle Times • May 14, 2018
At Jibe one afternoon, several neighbors stopped by to chat with the children.
From Seattle Times • May 14, 2018
Jibe when you like without fear of capsizing.
From St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, January 1878, No. 3 by Dodge, Mary Mapes
"Jibe over to starboard and come up on the wind!" he commanded.
From The Night-Born by London, Jack
Gibe, Jibe, jīb, v.t. to sneer at: to taunt.—n. a taunt: contempt.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
