jibe

1 of 3

verb (1)

jibed; jibing

intransitive verb

: to be in accord : agree
usually used with with
a story that doesn't jibe with the facts

jibe

2 of 3

verb (2)

variant spelling of gibe

intransitive verb

: to utter taunting words

transitive verb

: to deride or tease with taunting words
boxers gibing each other before a fight

jibe

3 of 3

verb (3)

variants or less commonly
jibed also gybed; jibing also gybing

intransitive verb

1
: to shift suddenly and forcibly from one side to the other
used of a fore-and-aft sail or its boom
was the most amazed when he saw me work the boat to and again in the sea by the rudder, and how the sail jibed, and filled this way or that way as the course we sailed changedDaniel Defoe
the cutter had lost all four foremost men by the violent jibing of a boomHerman Melville
2
: to change a vessel's course when sailing with the wind so that as the stern passes through the eye of the wind the boom swings to the opposite side

transitive verb

: to cause (a sail or vessel) to jibe
this maneuver was bound to force her to jibe her mainsail from one side to the otherJack London
jibe noun
or less commonly gybe

Did you know?

Jive vs. Jibe

People began confusing jive and jibe almost immediately after jive entered our language in the late 1920s. In particular, jive is often used as a variant for the sense of jibe meaning “agree,” as in “that doesn’t jive with my memory of what happened.” This use of jive, although increasingly common, is widely considered to be an error. Jibe, however, is accepted as a variant spelling of an entirely different word, which is gibe (“to utter taunting words”).

Examples of jibe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
That jibes with something DMV director Steve Gordon told me in our last conversation. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 The earnestness of his jabs didn’t jibe with the post-satirical age ushered in by Donald Trump’s surreal presidency, in which younger, left-leaning audiences have gravitated toward more caustic humor. David Sims, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2024 That's good for up to 53 miles of range, a number that jibes well with my experience riding the bike. Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 15 June 2023 Neither Considine nor aides in the governor’s office responded to requests to explain how the anchors ended up on the Mexican side and how that jibed with Abbott’s assertion the barrier may have drifted. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 21 Aug. 2023 This emphasis also jibes with the fact that higher inflation was a worldwide phenomenon: prices rose sharply even in countries that didn’t do nearly as much stimulus spending as the United States did. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2023 Analysts at Bob Ross Inc. synced up footage from the first episode with the painting in front of them, checking to see if his brushstrokes and knife work on the small screen jibed with the painting in front of them, Kowalski said. Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 These numbers jibe with a general trend favoring more independent boards, as ISS-Corporate notes. Bylila MacLellan, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023 The strongest looks were a strong black suit or a spliced black shift dress that would jibe perfectly with any gallery opening; other contenders included a white dress worked into a whorl of a blossom on one side, or an abstract print crimped into an asymmetric dress. Tina Isaac-Goizé, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jibe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

origin unknown

Verb (3)

perhaps modification of Dutch gijben

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1813, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

1693, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jibe was in 1693

Dictionary Entries Near jibe

Cite this Entry

“Jibe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jibe. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jibe

1 of 3 verb
variants or gybe
jibed or gybed; jibing or gybing
1
: to shift suddenly from one side to the other
2
: to cause a sail to jibe

jibe

2 of 3

variant of gibe

jibe

3 of 3 verb
jibed; jibing
: to be in agreement
the two reports jibed
Etymology

Verb

perhaps a modified form of Dutch gijben "to shift suddenly from one side to another"

Verb

origin unknown

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