vibe
Pluralvibes
Pluralvibes
- 1The atmosphere or feeling that seems to come from a person, place, or thing.
Like the unspoken signal a person gives off before they say a single word.
The whole festival had a relaxed, friendly vibe that put everyone at ease.
Something about the empty house gave off an unsettling vibe.
UsageOften good vibes or bad vibes; you get a vibe from someone, or a place gives off a vibe.
Similaratmosphere, feeling, mood, feel, air
- 2To like, appreciate, or feel in agreement with something such as an idea, style, or plan.
Honestly, I vibe his whole approach to design.
The whole team vibed with her plan to hold Friday meetings outside when the weather is nice.
UsageWith or without with: I vibe this song, I vibe with the plan.
Similarlike, dig, appreciate, enjoy
Oppositedislike
Note
Here the object is music, an idea or a style rather than a person. The pattern overlaps the getting-along sense. What separates them is what follows the verb: a person there, a sound or an argument here.
- 3
- 4A vibraphone, the tuned percussion instrument with metal bars that are struck with mallets.
She played the vibes with soft mallets to draw out a mellow tone.
Touring jazz groups often travel with a full set of vibes.
UsageEven one instrument is the vibes: she plays the vibes, he plays vibes.
Similarvibraphone
Note
A musician's clipping that lives almost only in the plural. Even a single instrument is the vibes, much as one pair of scissors still takes a plural form. That plural matches the plural of the atmosphere sense, so a phrase like a band with great vibes can point to the instrument or to the feel of the room. Context, not grammar, has to settle it.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The instrument name is a clipping of vibraphone. en.wiktionary.org
- Vibes is the usual form, but singular vibe also occurs. The manufacturer's catalogue uses 'your vibe' for one instrument. pearldrum.com
- Scissors can have plural agreement when referring to one cutting instrument. en.wiktionary.org
Less common meanings
- 5Something regarded as good, trendy, or pleasant; a person or thing that gives off an appealing feeling.
Like a song everyone agrees is perfect without anyone explaining why.
That new rooftop bar is honestly such a vibe.
Her whole playlist for the road trip was a vibe.
UsageUse a vibe, such a vibe, or a total vibe as praise; not the vibe expresses disapproval.
Note
Here the noun stops describing an atmosphere and becomes a verdict. Unlike the atmosphere sense, it needs no good or bad in front of it, because the approval is already built in.
- 6
- 7
- 8A vibrator; an electric device used as a sex toy.
The boutique displayed a discreet row of vibes near the back.
She charged her vibe before the weekend away.
Similarvibrator
- 9To treat a fellow musician in a condescending or insulting way during a performance, signaling that they are not up to standard.
- 10To sexually stimulate someone with a vibrator.
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.
2015, Allison Moon, Girl Sex 101
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Origin
A shortened (apocopic) form of words like "vibration" or "vibrator."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Vibe is an apocopic shortening of words including vibration and vibrator. en.wiktionary.org