fib

1 of 3

noun

: a trivial or childish lie

fib

2 of 3

verb (1)

fibbed; fibbing

intransitive verb

: to tell a fib
fibber noun

fib

3 of 3

verb (2)

fibbed; fibbing
British
Choose the Right Synonym for fib

lie, prevaricate, equivocate, palter, fib mean to tell an untruth.

lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue.

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another.

equivocated endlessly in an attempt to mislead her inquisitors

palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

Examples of fib in a Sentence

Noun I have to admit that I told a fib when I said I enjoyed the movie. Is she telling fibs again? Verb (1) fibbed and said that he had remembered to water her plants while she was away Verb (2) the two drunken pub crawlers proceeded to fib each other senseless
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But Chris is also a typical kid trying to figure things out in real time, as friendships change and humiliating social encounters reverberate and impromptu fibs turn into pathological chains of lies. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2024 This is a clever fib on Julien’s part: what follows is hardly about Hughes. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 12 July 2024
Verb
Bier was able to spot who may have fibbed about their dancing abilities, but the credits also tap into what makes the show so fun. Kerensa Cadenas, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2024 In 1924, a 20-year-old Chicagoan fibbed his way into the Olympics and won three gold medals at the swimming competition in Paris. Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for fib 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fib.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps by shortening & alteration from fable

Verb (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1675, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fib was in 1610

Dictionary Entries Near fib

Cite this Entry

“Fib.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fib. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fib

noun
ˈfib
: an unimportant lie
fib verb
fibber noun

Medical Definition

fib

abbreviation
fibrillation

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