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 Defoethe 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

Other Words from jibe Jive vs. Jibe Example Sentences Learn More about jibe

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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 The numbers jibe with polling during the Trump years when the president’s supporters felt the media was trying to crush his agenda. — Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, "Joe, Joe, he's our man: Most see reporters as Biden cheerleaders," 7 Apr. 2021 What brides and grooms chose to wear changed, too; a five-figure ball gown doesn’t really jibe with a backyard party or civil ceremony. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "31 White Wedding Looks to Consider From the Fall 2021 Runways," 7 Apr. 2021 Expect to learn a new set of safety protocols, to wrangle an array of unfamiliar gadgets and to follow feeding and sleeping recommendations that don’t jibe with what your pediatrician advised 30 years ago. — Mary Jacobs, Dallas News, "Grandparents, it’s a new day in baby care," 23 Feb. 2021 That defense also fails to jibe with Abaaoud's goal of killing a maximum number of people during attacks. — Star Tribune, "Trial in France for extremist foiled by 3 Americans on train," 16 Nov. 2020 Available in 15 solid colors, the sofa can also jibe aesthetically with adult décor. — Rachel Wolfe, WSJ, "Can the Nugget Couch Really Keep Quarantined Kids Entertained?," 20 Jan. 2021 Two counties in California — Placer and El Dorado — along with the town of Truckee are asking Airbnb's help in halting Lake Tahoe-area short-term rentals that don't jibe with the state’s stay-at-home order amid the continuing coronavirus surge. — Winston Gieseke, USA TODAY, "In California: Safety concerns grow as some tribal casinos remain open," 24 Dec. 2020 That would jibe with Edwards' philosophy especially if Hill can spin magic off the run game. — Jeff Metcalfe, The Arizona Republic, "Arizona State hoping new coordinator Zak Hill brings creativity, sophistication to offense," 5 Nov. 2020 That includes leaving himself open for eye-rolls when his sunny outlook doesn’t jibe with his dismal record. — Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, "Doc's Morning Line: I believe there's a small chance all Zac Taylor says will be true," 27 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jibe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.