jib
jibs; jibbed; jibbing
A jib is a sail at the front of a sailboat. The triangle-shaped jib hangs in front of the boat's mast.
Some sailboats use only a jib to move, but most of them combine a main sail, which does most of the work, and a jib, which makes the boat more stable. Jib is also a verb, meaning "move to the opposite side of the ship" or "refuse to follow instructions." The old-fashioned compliment "I like the cut of your jib," or "I like the way you look," comes from nautical slang, in which jib meant "face."
Definitions of jib
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any triangular fore-and-aft sail (set forward of the foremast)
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types:
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flying jib
the outermost of two or more jibs
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type of:
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fore-and-aft sail
any sail not set on a yard and whose normal position is in a fore-and-aft direction
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flying jib
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shift from one side of the ship to the other“The sail jibbed wildly”
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synonyms:
change course, gybe, jibe
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type of:
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sail
travel on water propelled by wind
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sail
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refuse to comply
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘jib'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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