jib

¹ American  

[jib] / dʒɪb /

noun

Nautical.

1. any of various triangular sails set forward of a forestaysail or fore-topmast staysail.

2. the inner one of two such sails, set inward from a flying jib.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a jib.

   jib clew.

idioms

1. cut of one's jib, one's general appearance, mien, or manner.

   I could tell by the cut of his jib that he wasn't the kind of person I'd want to deal with.

jib ² American  

[jib] / dʒɪb /

Or jibb

verb (used with or without object)

jibbed, jibbing

1. variants of jibe.

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jib ³ American  

[jib] / dʒɪb /

verb (used without object)

jibbed, jibbing

1. to move restively sidewise or backward instead of forward, as an animal in harness; balk.

2. to balk at doing something; defer action; procrastinate.

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noun

1. a horse or other animal that jibs.

jib ⁴ American  

[jib] / dʒɪb /

noun

1. the projecting arm of a crane.

2. the boom of a derrick.

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jib ¹ British  

/ dʒɪb /

noun

1. nautical any triangular sail set forward of the foremast of a vessel

2. someone's manner, behaviour, style, etc

3. obsolete

   1. the lower lip, usually when it protrudes forwards in a grimace

   2. the face or nose

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jib ² British  

/ dʒɪb /

verb

1. (often foll by at) to be reluctant (to); hold back (from); balk (at)

2. (of an animal) to stop short and refuse to go forwards

   the horse jibbed at the jump

3. nautical variant of gybe

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jib ³ British  

/ dʒɪb /

noun

1. the projecting arm of a crane or the boom of a derrick, esp one that is pivoted to enable it to be raised or lowered

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jib ⁴ British  

/ dʒɪb /

noun

1. dialect (often plural) a contortion of the face; a face

   stop making jibs

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jib More Idioms  

1. see cut of one's jib

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Other Word Forms

• jibber
  noun

Etymology

Origin of jib¹

First recorded in 1655–65; origin uncertain

Origin of jib³

First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps special use of jib ²

Origin of jib⁴

First recorded in 1755–65; apparently short for gibbet

Explanation

A jib is a sail at the front of a sailboat. The triangle-shaped jib hangs in front of the boat's mast. Some sailboats use only a jib to move, but most of them combine a main sail, which does most of the work, and a jib, which makes the boat more stable. Jib is also a verb, meaning "move to the opposite side of the ship" or "refuse to follow instructions." The old-fashioned compliment "I like the cut of your jib," or "I like the way you look," comes from nautical slang, in which jib meant "face."

Example Sentences

Skullcandy’s Jib True wireless earbuds $22 $30 27% off Skullcandy’s Jib True wireless buds come with six hours of battery life, serviceable sound quality, and an IPX4 sweat resistance rating.

From The Verge • May 20, 2022

And more recently Revolori was Jib in Rick Famuyiwa’s Sundance favorite “Dope.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2017

Pence, his wife Karen and daughter Charlotte made a quick stop at Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe in Girard, Ohio, on Wednesday before an evening rally in nearby Leetonia.

From Washington Times • Sep. 28, 2016

Chouinard and Jib Ellison, in a two-man kayak, managed to reach an island.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 12, 2016

"Jib" was short for "jack-in-the-box," the name given to pop-up dummies developed by the CIA to make it seem as if a passenger were riding in a car.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• back off
• blanch
• cower
• cringe
• flinch
• grimace
• recoil