dibs

[dibz]

noun

Informal.

1. money in small amounts.

2. rights; claims.

   I have dibs on the car when Jimmy brings it back.

dibs

/ dɪbz /

plural noun

1. another word for jacks

2. a slang word for money

3. informal,  (foll by on) rights (to) or claims (on): used mainly by children

Word History and Origins

Origin of dibs¹

1720–30; shortening of earlier dibstones a children's game; dib

Word History and Origins

Origin of dibs¹

C18: shortened from dibstones children's game played with knucklebones or pebbles, probably from dib to tap, dip, variant of _dab ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see have dibs on.

Example Sentences

It was very much the opposite, with fans brimming with joy, eager to get first dibs on the collection.

From Los Angeles Times

“She called dibs on my dad. All the girls picked one from the campsite, and they went and met. My mom and dad, they stuck. Nobody else did.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s long been anticipated that if the freeway never got finished, Caltrans would sell the houses, with existing tenants getting first dibs.

From Los Angeles Times

“Rock, upstairs. I got dibs on the first floor.”

From Literature

For England, Bellingham has had first dibs as the number 10 this season.

From BBC

When To Use

What does dibs mean?

When you call dibs on something, you claim it, especially in advance (before other people can claim it or get to it).To call dibs, you usually actually say (or shout) dibs, especially while mentioning the thing you’re claiming, as in Dibs on the last slice of pizza! If you’ve got dibs, you consider yourself to have the right to the thing that you’ve made a claim to. Dibs is very informal and is mostly used by kids. It’s especially seen in the phrases call dibs, have dibs, got dibs, and first dibs.Less commonly, dibs is used as a slang term for small amounts of money or as another name for the game of jacks.Example: There’s only one cupcake left, but I already called dibs on it.