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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

dibs.

The right to use or enjoy something exclusively or before anyone else.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/dɪbz/UK
  1. The right to use or enjoy something exclusively or before anyone else.

    informal · uncountable
    I call dibs on the hammock!
    He called dibs on batting first.
Where this word comes from

Since the early 19th century, of disputed origin. Most commonly thought to be from dibstones (“counters used in a game with the same name”). Also from dib (“to tap”) or related to northern English dip (“small depression in the ground”), or a shortened version of divide.

intj/dɪbz/UK
  1. Used to claim this right.

    informal
Where this word comes from

Since the early 19th century, of disputed origin. Most commonly thought to be from dibstones (“counters used in a game with the same name”). Also from dib (“to tap”) or related to northern English dip (“small depression in the ground”), or a shortened version of divide.

verb/dɪbz/UK
  1. To claim a temporary right to (something); to reserve.

    informal
Where this word comes from

Since the early 19th century, of disputed origin. Most commonly thought to be from dibstones (“counters used in a game with the same name”). Also from dib (“to tap”) or related to northern English dip (“small depression in the ground”), or a shortened version of divide.

noun/dɪbz/UK
  1. A sweet preparation or treacle of grape juice, much used in the East.

    dated · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Semitic *dibš- Arabic دِبْس (dibs)bor. English dibs Borrowed from Arabic دِبْس (dibs).

noun/dɪbz/UK
  1. plural of dib

    form-of · plural
  2. A child's game, played with dib bones or stones, throwing them up from one's palm and catching them on the back of the hand.

    obsolete
  3. Money.

    archaic · slang
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.