fib

1 of 3

noun

ˈfib 

: 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

: pummel, beat

Synonyms

Noun

• fable
• fabrication
• fairy tale
• falsehood
• falsity
• lie
• mendacity
• prevarication
• story
• tale
• taradiddle
• tarradiddle
• untruth
• whopper

Verb (1)

• fabricate
• lie
• prevaricate

Verb (2)

• bash
• baste
• bat
• batter
• beat
• belabor
• belt
• birch
• bludgeon
• buffet
• bung up
• club
• curry
• do
• drub
• flog
• hammer
• hide
• lace
• lambaste
• lambast
• lash
• lather
• lick
• maul
• mess (up)
• paddle
• pelt
• pommel
• pound
• pummel
• punch out
• rough (up)
• slate
• slog
• switch
• tan
• thrash
• thresh
• thump
• tromp
• wallop
• whale
• whip
• whop
• whap
• whup
• work over

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

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

Phrases Containing fib

• A-fib

Kids Definition

fib

noun

ˈfib

: an unimportant lie

fib verb

fibber noun

Medical Definition

fib

abbreviation

fibrillation