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kibitz

[ kib-its ]
/ ˈkɪb ɪts /
Informal.
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See synonyms for: kibitz / kibitzed / kibitzing on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
to act as a kibitzer.
verb (used with object)
to offer advice or criticism to as a kibitzer: to kibitz the team from the bleachers.
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Origin of kibitz

1925–30, Americanism;<Yiddish kibetsn, equivalent to German kiebitzen to look on at cards, derivative of Kiebitz busybody, literally, lapwing, plover

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH kibitz

kibbutz, kibitz

Words nearby kibitz

kibbutznik, kibe, Kibei, kibi-, kibitka, kibitz, kibitzer, kiblah, kibosh, kick, kick about
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to kibitz

admonish, caution, charge, commend, direct, encourage, instruct, point out, prepare, recommend, suggest, urge, warn, hinder, impede, impose, infringe, intrude, tamper, dance

How to use kibitz in a sentence

  • Watching the body-cam footage again, he noticed how many cops were standing around, kibitzing with the rioters.

    What Mike Fanone Can't Forget|Molly Ball|August 5, 2021|Time

  • But as those early weeks passed, the opportunity to kibitz never presented itself.

    "Dave's Whipping Boy"|Paul Shaffer|October 2, 2009|DAILY BEAST

  • "Just as soon kibitz," he insisted, drawing up a chair behind me as I took his seat.

    Card Trick|Walter Bupp AKA Randall Garrett

  • He waved a greeting to the desk sergeant and went over to kibitz the card game.

    The Circuit Riders|R. C. FitzPatrick

British Dictionary definitions for kibitz

kibitz
/ (ˈkɪbɪts) /
verb
(intr) US and Canadian informal to interfere or offer unwanted advice, esp as a spectator at a card game

Derived forms of kibitz

kibitzer, noun

Word Origin for kibitz

C20: from Yiddish kibitzen, from German kiebitzen to be an onlooker, from Kiebitz busybody, literally: plover
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
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