What does "bib" mean?
An item of clothing for people (especially babies) tied around their neck to protect their clothes from getting dirty when eating.
Bib
/bɪb/ noun, phrase, verb, slang
noun, phrase, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An item of clothing for people (especially babies) tied around their neck to protect their clothes from getting dirty when eating.
- Grammar: bib is listed as noun, phrase, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: apron, apron, aprons, baby bib.
- Useful contrasts: bare chest, main text, napkin.
- Usage evidence: The baby wiped his hands covered in chocolate on his bib.
How to use "bib"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bib" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bib" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bib" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bib" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bib" is acting as noun, phrase, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "apron" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bib", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An item of clothing for people (especially babies) tied around their neck to protect their clothes from getting dirty when eating.
- 2 a napkin tied under the chin of a child while eating wordnet
- 3 Similar items of clothing such as the Chinese dudou and Vietnamese yem.
- 4 top part of an apron; covering the chest wordnet
- 5 A rectangular piece of material, carrying a bib number, worn as identification by competitors.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A colourful polyester or plastic vest worn over one's clothes, usually to mark one's team during group activities.
- 7 The upper part of an apron or overalls.
- 8 Ellipsis of bib short. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 9 A patch of colour around an animal's upper breast and throat.
"In summer the whole throat and breast are black, but in winter plumage the throat is white bounded by a horseshoe-shaped black bib."
- 10 A north Atlantic fish (Trisopterus luscus), allied to the cod.
- 11 A bibb (bibcock).
Verb
- 1 To dress (somebody) in a bib. transitive
"Wise women use them, but new fathers seldom seem to understand that one minute bibbing baby saves who knows how long swabbing, finding clean clothes, changing, and coddling later — not to mention laundry time."
- 2 To beep (e.g. a car horn). informal
- 3 drink moderately but regularly wordnet
- 4 To drink heartily; to tipple. archaic, intransitive
"Iff I were a fleſhly felowe, and a preacher of lyes and tolde them that they might ſyt bebbinge and bollynge, and be droncken: O that were a prophet for this people."
Phrase
- 1 Initialism of brought in by. abbreviation, alt-of, informal, initialism
"BIB mum"
- 2 Abbreviation of business is business. abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 Initialism of bottled in bond. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The baby wiped his hands covered in chocolate on his bib."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bib"?
Common synonyms include: apron, apron, aprons, baby bib, bib file, bibtex file.
How do you use "bib" in a sentence?
The baby wiped his hands covered in chocolate on his bib.
How do you pronounce "bib"?
Pronounced /bɪb/.
Etymology
Originally verb sense “drink heartily”, from Middle English bibben, either from Latin bibō (“I drink”) or of imitative origin. Noun sense (clothing) presumably either because worn while drinking, or because the clothing itself “drinks up” spills.