Link Centre Dictionary

jive

UK/ˈd͡ʒaɪv/ US/ˈdʒaɪv/ uncommon dated slang us
verb (1) noun (1)

verb

1.

dance to jive music; dance the jive

noun

1.

a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz

Synonyms

Origin

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”).

Phrases

  • hand jive
  • jive around
  • jive turkey
  • shuck and jive

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.