jive

jive — noun

1. a fast, lively partner dance performed to swing music, with quick steps and ener

1.nounB1
Definition

a fast, lively partner dance performed to swing music, with quick steps and energetic turns, that was especially fashionable among teenagers and young adults in the mid-20th century and later became a standard competitive ballroom dance.

Example

At the school dance, Reuben and Jiwoo showed others how to do the jive.

collocation: 'do the jive'

The jive was one of the most popular dance styles among teenagers in the 1950s.

Common collocations
  • do the jive
  • dance the jive
  • practice the jive
  • jive competition
  • jive music
Synonyms
  • swing dancing

    broader term covering all partner dances to swing music from the 1920s–1940s, not just the specific 1940s–50s jive

  • jitterbug

    informal, looser term for energetic swing dancing; less structured than ballroom jive

Grammar Patterns

the jive

do the jive

dance the jive

Usage Note

This sense refers to the partner dance, not to the swing music it is danced to. The jive remains a standard dance in international ballroom competitions, though it is less common in casual social dancing today.

Common Mistakes

She listened to jive on the radio.
She danced the jive to swing music on the radio.
Jive is a dance, not a music genre. The accompanying music is called swing or big band.
Jive and jitterbug mean the same thing.
Jive is a competitive ballroom dance, while jitterbug is an informal term for swing dancing.
The two terms overlap historically but are not identical.

2. talk or statements that are silly, meaningless, or intended to deceive someone —

2.nounB2
Definition

talk or statements that are silly, meaningless, or intended to deceive someone — often used when rejecting an excuse or an unlikely claim.

Example

Bilal said his invention would earn a million dollars, but I knew it was jive.

informal pattern: 'it's (all) jive'

The used-car salesman's smooth talk sounded like nothing but jive to experienced buyers.

Common collocations
  • all jive
  • pure jive
  • smooth jive
  • that's jive
  • hand someone jive
  • jive talk
Synonyms
  • nonsense

    neutral, widely understood term; less dated than jive

  • rubbish

    common in British English; similar meaning but not identical in register

  • garbage

    informal American English; expresses stronger dismissal

Antonyms
  • truth

    opposite of deceptive or meaningless talk

Grammar Patterns

it's (all) jive

that's jive

jive talk

Usage Note

This sense is informal, dated slang from mid-20th-century American English. It appears most often in dismissive phrases such as 'That's jive!' or 'Don't give me that jive.' Today, younger speakers more commonly use 'nonsense,' 'bull,' or 'BS' (vulgar) in its place.

Common Mistakes

He speaks jive.' (meaning slang or hip language).
That excuse is jive
I don't believe a word of it.' — The 'slang' meaning of jive is extremely rare; the 'nonsense' meaning is the relevant one for learners.

jive — verb

jive — adjective

Word family

  • jiver
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Jive, jitterbug, swing, and lindy hop all refer to energetic partner dances from the early-to-mid 20th century, but they are not interchangeable. Swing is the broadest term, covering both the music genre and the family of dances from the 1920s–1940s. The lindy hop is the original partner dance that emerged in Harlem in the late 1920s, famous for its 'breakaway' moves and acrobatic lifts. Jitterbug is a more informal term that sometimes means any swing dancer, sometimes a less structured version of the lindy hop. Jive, by contrast, refers specifically to the standardized ballroom dance developed in the 1940s–50s — it is faster, more upright, and more controlled than the lindy hop. Example: 'At the swing festival, the couple performed a lindy hop with daring lifts, while the ballroom competitors stuck to the more disciplined jive routine.'

jive ↗jitterbugswing ↗lindy hop

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • do the jive
  • dance the jive
  • all jive
  • don't jive me

Prepositions

Etymology

Wolof (probable)African American Vernacular EnglishAmerican English

The word 'jive' entered American English in the 1920s through African American communities. It may come from the Wolof word 'jev', meaning 'to talk in a misleading way.' The dance meaning developed in the 1930s and 1940s alongside swing music, when young people danced to big-band jazz. By the 1950s, 'jive' was a familiar word for a fast, lively partner dance and also for the confident, slang-filled talk of the jazz subculture.