Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
adj
(dated, Black slang)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, empty-gloss, no-gloss
Qualifier: Black slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A dance style popular in the 1940–50s.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Swing, a style of jazz music.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A slang associated with jazz musicians; hepcat patois or hipster jargon.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Synonym of bullshit: patent nonsense, transparently deceptive talk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, colloquial, countable, uncountable
Synonyms: flummery, bullshit
Antonyms: none provided
noun
African-American Vernacular English.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, colloquial, countable, derogatory, often, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To deceive; to be deceptive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, colloquial, intransitive, transitive
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To dance, originally to jive or swing music; later, to jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, disco, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: colloquial, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To speak in jive (jazz or hipster slang).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To jibe: to accord, to agree.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: swing, swing music
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: jazz
verb
dance to jive music; dance the jive
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: dance, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe
History
Unknown. Slang attested in African-American and rural American culture. Frequently used to imply lying, verbal deception or trickery. Has a possible historical antecedent in gyve (“shackle”). Alternatively, of African origin, compare Wolof jev, jeu (“to talk about someone absent, especially in a disparaging manner”).
Across languages
18 source translations are retained for this English entry.
