jibe
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with or without object)
verb (used without object)
-
to shift from one side to the other when running before the wind, as a fore-and-aft sail or its boom.
-
to alter course so that a fore-and-aft sail shifts in this manner.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
jibes
plural
verb
verb
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of jibe1
An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; origin uncertain
Origin of jibe3
First recorded in 1685–95; variant of gybe, from Dutch gijben, more commonly gijpen
Explanation
To jibe with someone is to agree with them. Jibe can also mean “be compatible with or similar to.” If two people jibe, they get along quite well. A jibe can also be an insulting remark as another way to spell gibe. If someone directs that kind of jibe at you, the best response is a really good comeback. And in nautical terminology, jibe refers to a particular manner of changing the course of a ship. How did this word come to have such different meanings? Your guess is as good as ours. Just try to remember that if you want to jibe with others, don’t insult them.
Vocabulary lists containing jibe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mi-ok has to tell Ye-ji that her expensive clothes don’t jibe with someone championing labor issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
It also wouldn’t jibe with my understanding, at least, of a democratic replacement process.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
This week, their relationship took a nosedive as tensions flared over the war and a personal jibe directed at Macron.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Wolves' time-wasting jibe was followed by an Opta statistic that Arsenal have taken a league-high total of 117 minutes to restart games from corners this season.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
Ron ignored this jibe, sipping his drink in what he evidently considered to be a dignified silence.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
In one of many jibes aimed at Burnham, Badenoch labelled him a "Paddington Bear prime minister" who was "hoping that the problems will just go away".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
This jibes with the challenge hypothesis, which says, in multiple species, testosterone levels rise when males battle for attention from potential mates and go down when it’s time to take care of the young.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
The report questioned how that jibes with the reasons offered by Dozler and his agency: “a work-related phone call, email, or license check by the Department.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Djokovic is not afraid to go toe to toe with hostile fans, using their jibes to fuel his relentless quest for glory and showing the depth of his competitiveness.
From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026
As “Asta’s son,” I was oft the butt of jests, jibes, and relentless hounding.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Reynolds's involvement with Wrexham AFC, the second tier Welsh soccer side he co-owns with Rob McElhenney, jibed well with Branagh's avid interest in his preferred English Premier League side, said Goldstein.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Their results initially jibed with the annual count, falling within five percentage points above or below it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
Everything he observed jibed with what he knew of Bruegel the Younger, who had painted several works depicting the same scene of a Spanish official collecting taxes from Flemish peasants.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 4, 2023
"What can you say, let them try," he jibed.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2022
Because he possessed what seemed to be an unusually reliable memory, I was particularly interested to hear how his version of the events jibed with my own.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
That part feels the same while jibing with our time of quiet quitting, the gig economy's takeover and late-stage pandemic trepidation.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2023
The whole thing kind of feels like a rehearsal process, you’re in the studio and you’re just trying things and experimenting and just jibing with the creative team.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2022
It came too close to the top mark after the first leg and at the bottom mark, the New Zealand boat Te Rehutai reared up on its foils, then crashed back after a jibing error.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 18, 2020
You’ll see the Hudson from every possible angle as you react to shifts in the air — tacking and jibing, and changing the sail’s orientation to catch the wind.
From New York Times ● Aug. 21, 2019
Clouds and rain came up on the wind, which veered and gusted so wildly that there was considerable danger of the ship jibing.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
