jibe

UK: dʒaɪb | US: dʒaɪb

Definition

  1. v.i. to be in agreement; to correspond (e.g., "Their stories jibe.")

  2. v.t. to mock or taunt (archaic/nautical usage, e.g., "He jibed at their plan.")

  3. n. a sarcastic remark or taunt

Structure

No data yet.

Etymology

"Jibe" has a dual history:

  1. Mockery Sense: From Dutch gijben, reflecting nautical slang for verbal taunts among sailors.
  2. Agreement Sense: Likely a 19th-century semantic shift, possibly conflated with "jive" (colloquial for "align"). The unrelated nautical term "gybe" (sailing maneuver) further complicated its usage.
Examples

  1. Her account of the event didn’t jibe with the official report.

  2. The sailors would jibe at each other during long voyages.

  3. His sarcastic jibe left the room silent.

  4. Ensure the data jibes before finalizing the analysis.

  5. The politician ignored the reporter’s jibe.