fib

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪb

Etymology 1

Probably from fable; compare fibble-fabble (nonsense).

Noun

fib (plural fibs)

1. (informal) A lie, especially one that is more or less inconsequential.
   • Henry James

     They are very serious; they don't tell fibs.

Translations

a more or less inconsequential lie

• Bulgarian: измислица (bg) f (izmislica), несъзнателна лъжа (bg) f (nesǎznatelna lǎža)
• Dutch: leugentje (nl), gejok (nl)
• French: bobard (fr) m
• Italian: menzogna (it) f, bugia (it) f, baggianata (it) f, bufala (it) f, fola (it) f, frottola (it) f, fandonia (it) f

• Portuguese: mentirinha (pt) f
• Russian: выдумка (ru) (vydumka) f , домысел (ru) (domysel) m , неправда (ru) (nepravda) f 

Verb

fib (third-person singular simple present fibs, present participle fibbing, simple past and past participle fibbed)

1. (intransitive) To lie, especially more or less inconsequentially.

Synonyms

• tell a fib
• tell fibs

Translations

to tell a more or less inconsequential lie

• Bulgarian: послъгвам (bg) (poslǎgvam)
• Italian: mentire (it)

• Russian: привирать (ru) (priviratʹ) impf., приврать (ru) (privratʹ) pf.

References

• fib in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913 (etymology)

Etymology 2

Shortened from fibula

Noun

fib (plural fibs)

1. (medicine, informal) Short form of fibula.

See also

• tib

Anagrams

• BFI
• FBI
• IBF

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Volapük

Noun

fib (plural fibs)

1. weakness

Declension

declension of fib

	singular	plural
nominative	fib	fibs
genitive	fiba	fibas
dative	fibe	fibes
accusative	fibi	fibis
predicative	fibu	fibus
vocative	o fib!	o fibs!

Derived terms

• fibot