fib

[ fib ]

/ fɪb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fib ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small or trivial lie; minor falsehood.

verb (used without object), fibbed, fib·bing.

to tell a fib.

Nearby words

fiasco, fiat, fiat justitia, ruat caelum, fiat lux, fiat money, fib, fiber, fiber bundle, fiber optics, fiber pen, fiber, dietary

Origin of fib

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

Related forms

fib·ber, fib·ster, nounun·fib·bing, adjective

Synonym study

1. See falsehood.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fibber

I do not know if, as you say, they ride on broomsticks; but I'll tell you this: My father was no fibber.
The Silver Lining|John Roussel
You are a classical scholar when you use hyperbole and a 'fibber' when you exaggerate.
Hester's Counterpart|Jean K. Baird
"It's here, you fibber," his daughter cried merrily, persisting in her search.
Woman Triumphant|Vicente Blasco Ibaez
Fib′ber, one who fibs; Fib′bery (rare), the habit of fibbing; Fib′ster, a fibber.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various

You cant do anything now without making me out a fibber, retorted Eleanor.
Polly in New York|Lillian Elizabeth Roy

British Dictionary definitions for fibber

fib

/ (fɪb) /

noun

a trivial and harmless lie

verb fibs, fibbing or fibbed

(intr) to tell such a lie

Derived Forms

fibber, noun

Word Origin for fib

C17: perhaps from fibble-fable an unlikely story; see fable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012