fib

American  

[fib] / fɪb /

noun

1. a small or trivial lie; minor falsehood.

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verb (used without object)

fibbed, fibbing

1. to tell a fib.

fib British  

/ fɪb /

noun

1. a trivial and harmless lie

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verb

1. (intr) to tell such a lie

Related Words

See falsehood.

Other Word Forms

• fibber
  noun
• fibster
  noun
• unfibbing
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fib

1560–70; short for fibble-fable nonsense, gradational compound based on fable

Explanation

A fib is a small lie. If you think your friend's haircut looks strange, but you tell her you love it, it's a fib. When you tell a fib, you fib. The thing that distinguishes a fib from a lie is that a fib isn't terribly important — it's minor or petty. You might fib to protect someone's feelings or to save yourself a long explanation about exactly why you're late to work. The origin of the word fib is uncertain, but it may come from fibble-fable, or "nonsense," which in turn comes from fable.

Example Sentences

Q. Re: Looking for new jobs after a personal absence: Fib a little.

From Slate • Jul. 16, 2019

It’s called the Fib, for Fibonacci sequence, a numerical series in which, after the first two, each number is the sum of the two before it.

From Washington Post • Oct. 11, 2018

I'll concentrate on Edinburgh later this week, but before the festivities begin there are other shows to see, including Metro-Boulot-Dodo's Fib as part of Watch This Space at the National Theatre.

From The Guardian • Aug. 2, 2010

To Fib or Not to Fib Five businesses that are the last of their kind in America.

From Inc • Apr. 12, 2010

I tell the librarian Fib gonna turn my papers in tomorrow.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake