jive 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of jivenext
slang
as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express don't give me that jive talk about me being your new best friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

jive

2 of 3

noun

ˈjīv How to pronounce jive (audio)
as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field a novel that captures dead-on the jive of young Hollywood hipsters

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jive

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to tease
to make fun of in a good-natured way don't be upset—we're just jiving you

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2
as in to joke
to make jokes our team was laughing and jiving after our surprise win

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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 jive
Adjective
Born to hand jive, forced to grow up. — Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026 Irwin was paired with Gomez for a jive, and their chemistry was immediately clear to the judges…and their fans. — Glamour, 26 Nov. 2025
Noun
At a crowded hotel bar, three women from County Kerry sit watching couples dance the Irish jive, an upbeat couples dance that resembles the Lindy Hop. — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025 During Week 1, Irwin and his partner Witney Carson charmed audiences with their jive, which was both a high-energy romp and a sweet homage to the family's outdoorsman history. — Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
From electronics to delicate fabrics, natural stone, and more, there are a variety of surfaces and materials that just don’t jive with this household cleaning staple. — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 7 July 2026 The high school musical romance Grease hand-jived its way into theaters during the summer of 1978. — Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for jive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jive
  1. double
  2. terminology
  3. tease
  4. joke
  5. fake
  6. dialect
  7. kid
  8. lip
Adjective
  • The double-slit experiment, for example, is a classic setup where scientists send particles through two gaps in a screen and observe a resulting interference pattern, proving that the particles act as waves.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Saturday night, the Hurricanes outlasted Florida State, 43-35, the double overtime game adding another epic episode to the rivalry.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of double
Noun
  • Students were learning dates and terminology instead of poetry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The terminology, the system, the college routine, all those things start to come.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of terminology
Verb
  • The collection was teased in the initial announcement for Gymshark’s campaign with Megan, who wore the SoftSense shorts in Impact Red.
    — Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Morgan had previously teased that the reality series would stream on Hulu, but Versant insiders said there were no streaming plans at the time.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of tease
Verb
  • Meyers-Shyer jokes that on a recent Ask Me Anything, she was asked to describe her landscape.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Our Connecticut neighbors joked that Dad would make a perfect spy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of joke
Adjective
  • In episode 4, Noah made up an elaborate ruse involving a fake friend’s wedding in Napa — a means of getting Joanne to wine country for a romantic weekend.
    — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The two fans came with their own props even though fake mustaches were given to fans at the entry gates.
    — Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of fake
Noun
  • The reality, of course, is that the Southern accent is not some incorrect version of a national standard but instead a historically separate and unique dialect – or, more accurately, set of dialects.
    — Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The conflicts are raw and unresolved, and Churchill forces theatergoers to make up their own minds about the characters’ furious dialect.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of dialect
Verb
  • But kidding aside, AI used in the right way can make people smarter about their health, more so than most realize.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Pursuing big goals while parenting shows kids the value of hard work and resilience.
    — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of kid
Adjective
  • Likewise, lip masks designed to be worn overnight can provide improved hydration and comfort over daytime treatments.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026
  • On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.
    — Essence, Essence, 23 Nov. 2025
Definition of lip

Browse Nearby Words

jittery
jive
jived
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Cite this Entry

“Jive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jive. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on jive

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about jive

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