English

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Etymology

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Apocopic form of vibration, vibrator, etc.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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vibe (plural vibes)

  1. (informal, originally New Age jargon, often in the plural) An atmosphere or aura felt to belong to a person, place or thing. [c. 1960s]
    The couple canceled their night out when they got a bad vibe from the new babysitter.
    • 1998, John Harris, No voice from the hall, John Murray, →ISBN, page 176:
      As I passed the stables and thanked the caretaker, I sensed nasty vibes. It was time to go.
    • 2014 July 7, Pat Simmons, Guilty of Love, Generation Quest Press:
      I like her. I get good vibes from her.
    • 2016 May 24, Matt de la Peña, The Hunted, Ember, →ISBN, page 150:
      This place is giving me bad vibes.
    • 2022 September 7, Elizabeth Wagmeister, “Can Kelly Clarkson Save Daytime? The Host on Taking Over Ellen’s Spot, Touring Again and Broadway Dreams”, in Variety[1]:
      I have no problem with nudity. I'm, like, a total nudist. But that's just not my vibe, artistry-wise. A little mystery goes a long way for me.
  2. (informal, preceded by the) Something that is good, trendy, pleasant, or atmospheric; a thing or person with a good vibe.
    • 2022 January 3, Erin Crabtree, “‘The Bachelor’ Premiere Recap: Clayton Echard Has 1st Rose Rejected as Salley Quits Before Night 1”, in Us Weekly[2]:
      Once inside, Clayton wasted no time testing his chemistry with the women, kissing Teddi, Kira, Eliza, Cassidy and Rachel. However, not all of his relationships were so easy — Claire announced to the other contestants that her one-on-one time with Clayton was “not the vibe,” noting that he was too nice for her.
    • 2022 October 27, Paloma Torres, quoting Potentially Petty/Hot Person, “Advice Column: Am I becoming hotter or just pettier? Paloma Torres answers the age-old question constantly on everyone's minds”, in The Eyeopener, volume 56, number 7, page 3:
      I’ve noticed my attitude just hasn’t been the vibe lately. Yesterday I totally lost it at a restaurant because my pasta was only 18 C, which is two degrees below normal room temperature—like two degrees! How could they?
    • 2023 March 21, Logan Murdock, “Jaylen Brown Is Trying to Find a Balance”, in The Ringer[3]:
      “I didn’t know how to feel. I was a little bit shocked, to be honest,” Brown says. “It was not the vibe, you know what I mean? That’s the way I always describe it. It was not good vibes.”
    • 2023 March 28, Elizabeth Lopatto, “How much money do we think Substack lost last year?”, in The Verge[4]:
      Substack certainly knows this. It tried to raise last year, seeking $75 million to $100 million from investors. But it had revenue of only $9 million in 2021, and a sky-high valuation on relatively little revenue was not the vibe in 2022. The company gave up.
  3. (plural only, colloquial) A vibraphone. [earlier 20th c.]
  4. (informal) Vibration. [later 20th c.]
  5. (informal) A vibrator (sex toy). [later 20th c.] (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
    • 2008, Tamar Love, “Turning On in the Tub”, in The Sensual Bath: Soaking in Pleasure and Passion[5] (Sex/Relationships), Sterling/Ravenous, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 86, column 1:
      Water and electricity might not mix, but water and battery-powered fun sure do. Whether you are using a vibe alone or with a partner, in the tub or in the shower, the sensation of intense vibration feels especially nice underwater. Although waterproof vibrators can resemble anything from a lipstick to a kitty cat, most have one of four basic designs.
    • 2013, Erin McCarthy, chapter 7, in Full Throttle[6], New York: Berkley Sensation, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 97:
      But there was still the faint sound of her vibrator humming away under the blanket. [] Her teeth were clenched, and her hair was looking a little wild. Had she been rolling around under there, rocking herself onto her vibe?
    • 2016, Allison Moon, “Mapping Your Route: Anatomy & Orgasm”, in Girl Sex 101[7], 2nd edition, Lunatic Ink, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 117:
      It's a great idea to get good at using vibrators both on yourself (if you like them) and on partners. For many women, vibrators are part and parcel of good sex. Sometimes you'll like having unassisted sex for a while and then finish off with a vibrator. Sometimes a vibe can be great to add to penetrative sex.
    • 2020, Jessie Harrington, Forbidden Family Secrets - The Rougher Anthology of 150 Explicit Sex Stories[8] (Fiction), Ronnie Butler, page [9]:
      It was getting harder to keep using the vibrator on her clit while fucking her, so I replaced it with my tongue. My own pussy needed something, so I switched the other vibrator on and worked my clit with it. Really, it took some coordination to keep fucking her with the cucumber, while slurping on her clitoris and rubbing my own with a vibe.
    • 2021, Jaqueline George, Make Love to Your Man: A User Manual[10], Q-Press Publishing, →ISBN, →OCLC:
      [] a vibe that has a separate control unit connected by a thin cable.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:vibe.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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vibe (third-person singular simple present vibes, present participle vibing, simple past and past participle vibed)

  1. (transitive, colloquial) To stimulate with a vibrator.
    • 2015, Allison Moon, Girl Sex 101, page 49:
      If your usual routine is hammering or vibing your clit for three minutes before you run out the door, try giving yourself five minutes of exploratory time.
  2. (intransitive, colloquial) To relax and enjoy oneself.
  3. (intransitive, colloquial) To agree.
    Synonym: jibe
    • 2000 November, Vibe, volume 8, page 60:
      Besides, even if you don't vibe with his subject matter, he is a style king of West Coast, down-tempo gangsta-pimp music.
    • 2012, Sam Hunter, Book One: A Makaveli Prince's Novel:
      Nia was glad she'd let Rico bring her to the club as she vibed with the fusion of Latin sounds and American hip-hop.
    • 2015, Tony Cavanaugh, Kingdom of the Strong:
      Maria took him through the events of the next morning and his recollection vibed with his statement at the time.
  4. (intransitive, colloquial, with with) To get along; to hit it off.
    • 2012, Nikki Carter, Time to Shine, page 9:
      Sam started out being someone I totally vibed with on every level.
    • 2014, Mandy Hale, I've Never Been to Vegas, but My Luggage Has:
      Nervous and shaky but feigning confidence, I completed the interview with ease and even managed to vibe with the country cutie.
    • 2016, Steven Barker, Now for the Disappointing Part: A Pseudo-Adult's Decade of Short-Term Jobs:
      It was odd, because there was always one person I didn't vibe with in every office I spent time in, sometimes multiple people like in the case with Amazon.
  5. (transitive, colloquial) To feel in agreement with; to appreciate.
    • 2014, Catherine Tukes, Hannah's Song, page 57:
      He was quoting scriptures and stuff from the bible to me and I actually was vibing it, but I know I'm not down with the whole church thing []
  6. (transitive, colloquial, jazz) To treat (a fellow performer) in a condescending or insulting manner, typically during a performance or jam session, to signal to them that they are unsatisfactory.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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  • vibe”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English vibe, apocope of vibration.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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vibe f (plural vibes)

  1. vibe
    Synonym: sensation

Portuguese

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English vibe, apocope of vibration.

Pronunciation

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  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈvajb/ [ˈvaɪ̯b], /ˈvaj.bi/ [ˈvaɪ̯.bi]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈvajb/ [ˈvaɪ̯b], /ˈvaj.be/ [ˈvaɪ̯.be]
 

Noun

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vibe f (plural vibes)

  1. (informal) vibe (an atmosphere or aura felt to belong to a person, place or thing)
    Synonyms: sensação, aura, atmosfera, sentimento