jibe

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈjīb 

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 gybe

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 changed

—Daniel Defoe

the cutter had lost all four foremost men by the violent jibing of a boom

—Herman 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 other

—Jack 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”).

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• accord
• agree
• answer
• check
• chord
• cohere
• coincide
• comport
• conform
• consist
• correspond
• dovetail
• fit
• go
• harmonize
• rhyme
• rime
• sort
• square
• tally

Examples of jibe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Being accused of a double murder did not jibe with the smiling face on screen. —David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Shapiro said the image of NFL personnel cashing in on the game doesn't jibe with the NFL's fan-friendly marketing. —Graham Kates, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2024

How climate change is fueling stronger atmospheric rivers 05:06 Such findings jibe with a growing body of research, along with ample anecdotal evidence, that underscores the vast scale of the problem for homeowners. —Alain Sherter, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2024

The findings jibe with independent research conducted by Alanna J. Rebelo, a senior researcher in the water science unit at South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council, and other scientists. —Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples jibe with DEI training approaches virtually everywhere. —The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024

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

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

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