jiving

verb

present participle of jive
1
as in kidding
to make fun of in a good-natured way don't be upset—we're just jiving you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in joking
to make jokes our team was laughing and jiving after our surprise win

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jiving There’s no games, no shucking and jiving, everybody is really bringing their A-game. — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jiving
  1. kidding
  2. joking
  3. teasing
Verb
  • But Guthrie wasn’t kidding, slipping into a yellow gingham dress before joining her co-hosts on the Today Show Plaza to greet visitors.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 22 June 2026
Definition of kidding
Verb
  • If everyone is joking about one line in the comments, use it.
    — Kelly Samuel, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The end of the segment got fully derailed as Sheinelle and Leslie kept joking while Bush Hager tried to segue to an ad break.
    — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Definition of joking
Verb
  • Showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman were very generous to the crowd inside Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con on Friday, teasing what to expect after leaving Pete’s (Richie Moriarty) fate up in the air at the end of Season 5.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 July 2026
  • Here’s a look at a video teasing the Max and Helen’s episode.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 24 July 2026
Definition of teasing

Browse Nearby Words

jives
jiving
job
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jiving. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on jiving

Nglish: Translation of jiving for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inveigle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All