jibe Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
    shaft; gibe; shot; dig; barb; slam.
    • his parting shot was `drop dead'
    • she threw shafts of sarcasm
    • she takes a dig at me every chance she gets
  2. verb be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
    gibe; fit; tally; correspond; agree; check; match.
    • The two stories don't agree in many details
    • The handwriting checks with the signature on the check
    • The suspect's fingerprints don't match those on the gun
  3. verb shift from one side of the ship to the other
    jib; gybe; change course.
    • The sail jibbed wildly

WordNet


Jibe transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. Dan. gibbe, D. gijpen, v. i., and dial. Sw. gippa to jerk. Cf. Jib, n. & v. i.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Jibed ; present participle & verbal noun Jibing
Definitions
  1. (Naut.) To shift, as the boom of a fore-and-aft sail, from one side of a vessel to the other when the wind is aft or on the quarter. See Gybe.
Jibe intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. (Naut.) To change a ship's course so as to cause a shifting of the boom. See Jibe, v. t., and Gybe.
  2. To agree; to harmonize. Colloq. Bartlett.

Webster 1913