gib

[ gib ]

/ gɪb /

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noun

a hooked prolongation that develops during the spawning season on the lower jaw of a male salmon or trout.

Machinery.

a thin, wedgelike strip of metal for controlling the area in which a moving part, as the table of a milling machine, slides.
a keylike part having a head at each end, used with a matching cotter as a fastening.

(in carpentry or ironwork) a heavy metal strap for fastening two members together.

verb (used with object), gibbed, gib·bing.

to fasten (parts) together by means of a gib.

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Origin of gib

First recorded in 1555–65; origin uncertain

Words nearby gib

giant tortoise, giaour, giardia, giardiasis, Giauque, gib, gibbed, gibber, Gibberd, gibberellic acid, gibberellin

Other definitions for gib (2 of 3)

gib²

[ gib ]

/ gɪb /

noun

a cat, especially a male cat.

a castrated cat.

Origin of gib

1350–1400; Middle English gib(be), short for Gilbert proper name

Other definitions for gib (3 of 3)

Gib.

abbreviation

Gibraltar.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gib in a sentence

I gib ten dollars toward de stated preaching ob de Gospel de fus' year, and de peepil all call me Brudder Dickson.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
He gib thousand—gib ten thousand—hundred thousand—million dollar—eh?
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
We done yeah somethin' 'bout dis 'mancyperation befo', but we don' gib no 'count to it, Mis' G'no.
The Open Question|Elizabeth Robins
His dogmatic and fearless attitude in controversy earned for him the nickname “Pope Gib.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various

But who was it gib'd us our freedom but dem same Nordern men; and isn't it worf sumfing to own yo'self?
The Blue and The Gray|A. R. White

British Dictionary definitions for gib (1 of 3)

gib¹

/ (ɡɪb) /

noun

a metal wedge, pad, or thrust bearing, esp a brass plate let into a steam engine crosshead

verb gibs, gibbing or gibbed

(tr) to fasten or supply with a gib

Word Origin for gib

C18: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for gib (2 of 3)

gib²

/ (ɡɪb) /

noun

a male cat, esp a castrated one

Word Origin for gib

C14: probably a shortening and alteration of the proper name Gilbert

British Dictionary definitions for gib (3 of 3)

Gib

/ (dʒɪb) /

noun

an informal name for Gibraltar

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