1
a
: glib, deceptive, or foolish talk
tired of listening to his jive
b
: the jargon of hipsters
c
: a special jargon of difficult or slang terms
street jive
2
: swing music or the dancing performed to it
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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 jive in a Sentence
She grew up talking street jive.
I'm tired of listening to your jive.
Recent Examples on the Web
In between these two veritable foghorns, the four dancers referenced in the title gallivanted between balletic jumps and funny little jives.
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Mykiah Goree constantly commanded the eye with his superhumanly flexible back.
—
Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Feb. 2026
Robert Irwin danced a jive with Season 32 winner Xochitl Gomez winning the relay against Alix Earle and Season 33 winner Joey Graziadei.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 12 Nov. 2025
The pair then popped in and started their jive, but that wasn't the last of Daniels' appearance.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
At a crowded hotel bar, three women from County Kerry sit watching couples dance the Irish jive, an upbeat couples dance that resembles the Lindy Hop.
—Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jive
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Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Feb. 2026
Robert Irwin danced a jive with Season 32 winner Xochitl Gomez winning the relay against Alix Earle and Season 33 winner Joey Graziadei.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 12 Nov. 2025
The pair then popped in and started their jive, but that wasn't the last of Daniels' appearance.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
At a crowded hotel bar, three women from County Kerry sit watching couples dance the Irish jive, an upbeat couples dance that resembles the Lindy Hop.
—Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jive
Cite this Entry
“Jive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jive. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jive
1 of 2 noun1
: swing music or dancing performed to it
2
a
: glib, deceptive, or foolish talk
b
: a special jargon of difficult or slang terms
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