What does "jive" mean?
A dance style popular in the 1940–50s.
Jive
/ˈd͡ʒaɪv/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dance style popular in the 1940–50s.
- Grammar: jive is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: acid rock, agree, align, avant-garde jazz.
- Useful contrasts: authentic, clarity, contradict.
- Usage evidence: Funky music, fellas! Let's jive!
How to use "jive"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "jive" 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 "jive" 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 "jive" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "jive" 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 "jive" is acting as adj, noun, 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 "acid rock" 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 "jive", 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 A dance style popular in the 1940–50s. uncountable
- 2 a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz wordnet
- 3 Swing, a style of jazz music. uncountable
- 4 A slang associated with jazz musicians; hepcat patois or hipster jargon. uncountable
"Then the loud sound did seem to fade / Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase / That weren't no DJ, that was hazy cosmic jive"
- 5 Synonym of bullshit: patent nonsense, transparently deceptive talk. US, colloquial, countable, uncountable
"Don’t give me that jive. I know where you were last night."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 African-American Vernacular English. US, colloquial, countable, derogatory, often, uncountable
"Although speaking Western Japanese to your friends in Ōsaka, Kyōto, or Kōbe will allow you to get closer to them, speaking Western Japanese in Tōkyō might seem as outlandish as hearing a Japanese exchange student back home speaking jive or cockney."
Verb
- 1 To deceive; to be deceptive. US, colloquial, intransitive, transitive
"Don’t try to jive me! I know where you were last night!"
- 2 To jibe, in the sense of to accord, to agree US
- 3 dance to jive music; dance the jive wordnet
- 4 To dance, originally to jive or swing music; later, to jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, disco, etc. colloquial, intransitive
"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life; ooh, see that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen!"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Funky music, fellas! Let's jive!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "jive"?
Common synonyms include: acid rock, agree, align, avant-garde jazz, badinage, ballroom dance.
How do you use "jive" in a sentence?
Funky music, fellas! Let's jive!
How do you pronounce "jive"?
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒaɪv/.
Etymology
Unknown. Slang attested in African-American and rural American culture. Frequently used to imply lying, verbal deception or trickery. Has a possible historical antecedent in gyve (“shackle”). Alternatively, of African origin, compare Wolof jev, jeu (“to talk about someone absent, especially in a disparaging manner”).