dibs

[ dibz ]

noun

, Informal.

1. money in small amounts.
2. rights; claims:

   I have dibs on the car when Jimmy brings it back.

dibs

/ dɪbz /

plural noun

1. another word for jacks
2. a slang word for money
3. informal.
   foll by on rights (to) or claims (on): used mainly by children

Word History and Origins

Origin of dibs¹

1720–30; shortening of earlier dibstones a children's game; dib

Word History and Origins

Origin of dibs¹

C18: shortened from dibstones children's game played with knucklebones or pebbles, probably from dib to tap, dip, variant of dab ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see have dibs on .

Example Sentences

It’s long been anticipated that if the freeway never got finished, Caltrans would sell the houses, with existing tenants getting first dibs.

From Los Angeles Times

“Rock, upstairs. I got dibs on the first floor.”

From Literature

For England, Bellingham has had first dibs as the number 10 this season.

From BBC

Others pointed out that most major resellers have relationships with shoe company officials, or plugs, who occasionally offer them first dibs on a new release.

From Los Angeles Times

“Iowa has first dibs on the Department of Agriculture,” a grinning Mr. DeSantis replied.

From New York Times

More About Dibs

What does dibs mean?

When you call dibs on something, you claim it, especially in advance (before other people can claim it or get to it).

To call dibs, you usually actually say (or shout) dibs, especially while mentioning the thing you’re claiming, as in Dibs on the last slice of pizza! If you’ve got dibs, you consider yourself to have the right to the thing that you’ve made a claim to. Dibs is very informal and is mostly used by kids. It’s especially seen in the phrases call dibs, have dibs, got dibs, and first dibs.

Less commonly, dibs is used as a slang term for small amounts of money or as another name for the game of jacks.

Example: There’s only one cupcake left, but I already called dibs on it.

Where does dibs come from?

The first records of the word dibs come from the early 1700s. It probably comes from a shortening of the word dibstones. Originally, dibs referred to the children’s game called jacks (or a version of it), in which small objects are thrown and then picked up between bounces of a ball. The name of the game of jacks is a shortening of jackstones and early versions of both jacks and dibs were played with pebbles or the knucklebones of animals, such as those of a sheep. (Jacks is sometimes called knucklebones because earlier versions used such bones.)

Today, you’re most likely to hear dibs shouted by kids who are staking their claim to the last of something (like the last mozzarella stick) before other people (their siblings or friends) can take it. Along with giving you the right to the last of something, dibs can also give you the right to the first choice of something, as in I’ve got dibs on first pick for movie night on Friday. For this reason, dibs is often seen in the phrase first dibs, meaning “first choice.”

Dibs is very similar to the common practice among kids of calling shotgun to claim the right to ride in the front seat of a car, or calling fives upon getting up from a seat to “save” that seat for the next five minutes. (You could call dibs on shotgun, but this is slightly unconventional and your rights to shotgun may be disputed.) To kids, all such claims are seen as a binding social contract that must be respected.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for dibs?

• jacks

What are some words that often get used in discussing dibs?

 

• claim
• first
• call
• have
• got
• food
• entitled
• right

How is dibs used in real life?

Dibs is most commonly used by kids, but it’s sometimes also used by adults as a joke.

We do this weird thing where we sell it to the highest bidder, not the first person to call dibs on Twitter 🤷‍♂️ https://t.co/Alke3MMItd

— jordan buckley (@JordanETID) March 13, 2020

quick everybody quote tweet the same tweet, i've got dibs on the eyes emoji

— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) September 10, 2019

"this is MY bed, I call dibs" – Copper#CopperCK #dogsoftwitter #puppy pic.twitter.com/FFaezJU9eu

— 👑 The CavityKing 🦷 (@TCavityking) April 5, 2020

 

 

Try using dibs!

Is dibs used correctly in the following sentence?

I can’t wait till those brownies are done—dibs on a corner piece!