gibe 1 of 2

variants or jibe

gibe

2 of 2

noun

variants or jibe

Synonym Chooser

How is the word gibe distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of gibe are fleer, flout, jeer, scoff, and sneer. While all these words mean "to show one's contempt in derision or mockery," gibe implies taunting either good-naturedly or in sarcastic derision.

hooted and gibed at the umpire

Where would fleer be a reasonable alternative to gibe?

The words fleer and gibe are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fleer suggests grinning or grimacing derisively.

the saucy jackanapes fleered at my credulity

When is it sensible to use flout instead of gibe?

In some situations, the words flout and gibe are roughly equivalent. However, flout stresses contempt shown by refusal to heed.

flouted the conventions of polite society

In what contexts can jeer take the place of gibe?

The synonyms jeer and gibe are sometimes interchangeable, but jeer suggests a coarser more undiscriminating derision.

the crowd jeered at the prisoners

When might scoff be a better fit than gibe?

While the synonyms scoff and gibe are close in meaning, scoff stresses insolence, disrespect, or incredulity as motivating the derision.

scoffed at their concerns

When could sneer be used to replace gibe?

Although the words sneer and gibe have much in common, sneer stresses insulting by contemptuous facial expression, phrasing, or tone of voice.

sneered at anything romantic

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 gibe
Verb
Roy Keane’s ‘prawn sandwiches’ jibe had interesting origins. Michael Walker, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025 But even some Republicans weren’t happy with the nasty gibe. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025 This is clearly a jibe at the earlier problems of Ola’s scooters and their infamous unreliability. New Atlas, 10 Feb. 2025 Does this cold snap jibe with the preseason winter forecast? Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025 In an apparent jibe about Mangione's arrest, social media users shared what looked like a post from McDonald's rival Burger King, suggesting the latter restaurant chain would not have informed the police. Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024 The gibe blew Quayle off the debate stage; then, just a few weeks later, Republicans won the White House in a landslide. Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024 And Glaser launched a good-natured jibe at producer Benny Blanco. Joe Lynch, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019 The contrary argument is that stronger presidential oversight gibes with American constitutional principles and would ensure greater political accountability to the voters for all of an administration’s initiatives. Alden Abbott, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
Joe Biden's Farewell Letter Takes 'Civil War' Swipe At Donald Trump By Khaleda Rahman National Correspondent 149 President Joe Biden has released a farewell letter to Americans, appearing to gibe President-elect Donald Trump. Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025 Thompson was dressed less formally, and gibed at Weinberger about his attire. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 Dec. 2023 But the Space Force decision was announced six months ago, and suggesting it’s at fault for the New Glenn delay doesn’t gibe with Blue’s previous statements. Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gibe
Verb
  • He was previously mocked on social media during a loss to Austin Peay in November, when the Fox College Hoops broadcast showed Clark sitting in the stands.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025
  • This week, the podcaster Joe Rogan, an influential Trump booster last year, mocked the Administration’s Epstein stance.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • Up front, its face is a far more rectilinear sneer.
    Brett Berk, Robb Report, 8 July 2025
  • Yungblud’s voice — a piercing yelp that exists somewhere between Gerard Way’s wail and Brian Molko’s sneer — slotted him in the alt-rock world, but his aspirations seemed to stretch far beyond that categorization.
    Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • From the earliest days of Greek drama Herakles is ridiculed for his brutish way of eating his food, his preference for a good meal versus a good woman and, in Aristophanes’s The Bird, even his reluctance to leave a barbecue in order to help save his own father.
    John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
  • That audio clip has been shared some 60,000 times on TikTok, often by Venezuelans ridiculing the notion that everybody from their country is a gangster.
    ProPublica, ProPublica, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • Eventually Trump let slip that he was disappointed in his former adviser, prompting Musk to unleash a flood of insults and taunts.
    Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
  • Haliburton proceeded to make the choke sign — a not-so-subtle callback to Reggie Miller’s taunt directed at Spike Lee during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
    Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • Now the state is often derided as a place where nothing can get done, a reputation symbolized by its high-speed rail project, which is much delayed and over budget, Sramek said.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
  • Florida airports soon must submit monthly reports on weather modification activities or face the loss of state funding under a controversial new law derided by critics as fueling conspiracy theories.
    Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • That’s no diss at all, but Sound and Fury is such a different thing and the lineups feel so organic and exciting.
    Josh Chesler, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
  • Co-written by Mustard, the searing Drake diss spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, swept all five of its Grammy nominations, and became the first-ever rap song to spend 52 consecutive weeks on Billboard’s marquee singles chart.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 9 June 2025
Verb
  • The strike’s deadliest episode happened July 7 at 49th and Loomis streets, where several thousand people jeered and threw rocks at the Illinois National Guard.
    Robert Loerzel, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025
  • Kraft’s remarks drew such a harsh reaction from part of the crowd, with onlookers standing up, jeering and shouting in his direction, that an event organizer had to go on to the stage to settle things down and warn against future interruptions.
    Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • And the gratuitous insults—to NATO allies, the European Union, the BRICs, the United Nations, or the World Health Organization—continue to flow from the president.
    MARGARET MACMILLAN, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
  • The Steals and Deals segment on the WFTV newscasts are annoying and an insult to the viewers!
    Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gibe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gibe. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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