kibitzer
noun
kə-ˈbit-
Did you know?
The Yiddish language has given English some particularly piquant terms over the years, and kibitzer (or kibbitzer) is one such term. Kibitzer, from the Yiddish kibitser, came to that language from the German word kiebitzen, meaning "to look on (at cards)." Kiebitzen may or may not be derived from a German word for "lapwing," a type of bird noted for its shrill and raucous cry. (We can speculate that the bird's cry reminded people of the shrill commentary of onlookers at card games.) The word became more popular and widespread after the 1929 play The Kibitzer came out. Although kibitzer usually implies the imparting of unwanted advice, there is a respectable body of evidence for a kibitzer as a person simply making comments.
Examples of kibitzer in a Sentence
Karla L. Miller, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Feb. 2023
Still, there are boundaries to keep the kibitzers out of the law library, operating room and locker room so the experts can get the job done.
—Karla L. Miller, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2023
These two teamed up on morning radio in 1946 to invent the celebrity-interview talk show, featuring a gamut of guests from Hollywood mermaid Esther Williams to kibitzer-to-presidents Bernard Baruch.
—Edward Kosner, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2022
The problem is partly a failure to appreciate that the Radicals were kibitzers, as many legislators are.
—Andrew Ferguson, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2020
Most Americans by now have probably figured out the kibitzer-in-chief’s tweets lack the force of policy, much less the force of law.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2019
They were intently focused, paying no attention to the parade of gym-goers, game-players and kibitzers noisily passing by.
—Patricia Sullivan, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2018
Ms. Paulson makes her a flawed but tragic heroine: a divorced mom, strapped for child care, battling a legal hydra made of money while the tabloids pick at her hairstyle and kibitzers tell her to smile more.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2016
Though all of Mr. Nelson’s Rhinebeck plays have featured strong female characters, in this one, he more or less turns the stage over to them entirely (though Mr. Sanders, wonderful as always, is a gallant kibitzer).
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Kibitzer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kibitzer. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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kibitzer
noun
kə-ˈbit-
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