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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

gibe: M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for May 30 is:

gibe \JYBE\ verb
: to utter taunting words

Example sentence:
The crowd began to gibe at the basketball player who kept missing free throws.

Did you know?
Confused about "jibe" and "gibe"? The distinction actually isn't as clear-cut as some commentators would like it to be. "Jibe" is used both for the verb meaning "to be in accord, agree" ("jibe with") and for the nautical verb and noun ("jibe the mainsail," "a risky jibe in heavy seas"). "Gibe" is used for the verb "to deride or tease" and the noun "a taunting remark." But "jibe" is a recognized variant of "gibe," so it also has taunting or teasing uses. "Gibe" has been used occasionally as a variant of "jibe," but this use is very rare, and many people consider it to be an error.

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