Added 8 October 2026
gybe
/d͡ʒaɪb/ verb
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gybe at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- To shift a fore-and-aft sail from one side of a sailing vessel to the other, while sailing before the wind.
- Of a fore-and-aft sail or its boom: to shift, often forcefully and suddenly, from one side of a sailing vessel to the other.
- Generally of a small sailing vessel: to change tack with the wind crossing behind the vessel.
noun
- The act of gybing. A sudden shift of a sail's angle, or a sudden change in the direction that a vessel is sailing in. A manoeuvre in which the stern of a sailing vessel crosses the wind, typically resulting in the forceful and sudden sweep of the boom from one side of the vessel to the other.
- A sudden shift of a sail's angle, or a sudden change in the direction that a vessel is sailing in.
- A manoeuvre in which the stern of a sailing vessel crosses the wind, typically resulting in the forceful and sudden sweep of the boom from one side of the vessel to the other.
noun
- Alternative spelling of jibe (“taunt”).
verb
- Alternative spelling of jibe (“taunt”).
Origin
Probably from Dutch gijben (obsolete), gijpen; cognate with Danish gibbe, German gieben, giepen, Swedish gipa, gippa. The noun is derived from the verb; compare Dutch gijb (obsolete), gijp (“act of gybing; a boom”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)