Definition of dibs

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Forget doing it or forget to do it? Avoiding common mistakes with verb patterns 2. Add to word list Add to word list. UK Dibs on the front seat! Having and owning - general words. Examples of dibs.

Definition of dibs

It kind of sounds like divs , but having dibs doesn't imply dividing or sharing—the person wants the whole thing. We'll call dibs on divulging the origins of the term sort of. When someone says that they have dibs on something, they claim or declare rights to that thing before anyone else. Dibs in this sense is children's slang that goes back to the early s. By midth century, it had made its way into the more formal writing of some adult users of English, though even today dibs remains more prevalent among the young. He was not only reminded when it arrived, but it seems the postoffice stamp gave him some sort of dibs on copyright. The term is derived from an old children's game called dibstones , which takes its name from the obsolete verb dib , meaning "to dab" or "to pat. In most versions, it closely resembled the game of jacks , often involving tossing up small objects and catching them on the backs of hands. Other forms of dibstones were similar to what we generally consider to be the game of marbles. It's not absolutely clear how dibs acquired its sense of "claim" from the game of dibstones. We do know that, in whatever form it took, dibstones almost always centered on the manipulation of small objects, themselves called dibstones or dibs. These dibs could be anything from pebbles to the small knucklebones which is also a game of a sheep. It's likely that the game allowed a player to gain privileges over their opponents if the dibs went a certain way. Another theory is that dibs was influenced by dubs , a shortened form of double that is used in the game of marbles as an exclamation to declare one's right to two marbles knocked outside the ring of play. If dibs came to be used in a similar way, it is possible that its meaning broadened over time to convey the more general sense of "rights" or "claim" that it possesses today.

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Definition of dibs

Slang 1. A claim; rights: I have dibs on that last piece of pie. All rights reserved. Games, other than specified another word for jacks. Copyright , , by Random House, Inc. Switch to new thesaurus. Based on WordNet 3. A legitimate or supposed right to demand something as one's rightful due: claim , pretense , pretension , title.

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English Examples. English usage. Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once? Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. Another playing piece in the history of dibs is its use as a 19th-century American slang term for "money in small amounts. Simplified to English. Bilingual Dictionaries. Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. English—Dutch Dutch—English. Choose a dictionary. English synonyms.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dibs. Send us feedback about these examples.

Spanish English to Spanish. Mandarin Chinese images. Sign up now or Log in. If dibs came to be used in a similar way, it is possible that its meaning broadened over time to convey the more general sense of "rights" or "claim" that it possesses today. He was not only reminded when it arrived, but it seems the postoffice stamp gave him some sort of dibs on copyright. Pick the best ones! Grammar Thesaurus. Missing Letter A crossword with a twist Play. Having and owning - general words. Grammar Thesaurus. Your vs. Forget doing it or forget to do it?