Pop Culture dictionary

vibe check

[ vahyb chek ]

What does vibe check mean?

A vibe check is an instance of someone checking to see how other people are feeling.

A vibe check is also a test to see if someone or something is cool or has a desired attitude.

When used to check in on other people, vibe check is used similarly to or alongside phrases like How are you feeling? and How are you doing? In this sense, vibe check is used to ask people how they feel.

Vibe check is also used to refer to a coolness or attitude test. In this sense, a person usually refers to an action or event that they use to evaluate someone. If the person responds in a way acceptable to the tester, they are said to have passed the vibe check. Otherwise, they fail the vibe check.

In both senses, vibe check may be used as a noun or a verb. As a verb, vibe check means to check on other people’s condition or to test someone’s coolness or attitude, as in I made sure to vibe check my friends after the tornado blew through town. 

Example: By being nice to the waiter, I passed the vibe check and scored a second date.

Related words

.5 selfie, good vibes, wyd, wsg, the ick

Where does vibe check come from?

vibes

The phrase vibe check uses vibe in the sense of “the character, quality, or atmosphere of a place, situation, etc.” Regardless of how it is specifically used, vibe check refers to checking or testing someone’s feelings, attitude, or character (their vibe).

The phrase vibe check has been used on social media since at least the later 2010s, although it was rarely used at that time. Both uses became more popular in the 2020s.

Examples of vibe check

I officially start 2023 tomorrow. January was just a vibe check
@taylorveli_, January 31, 2023
Google announced that its maps will soon be able to perform “vibe checks” on entire neighbourhoods – with AI. The example provided was a trip to Paris. Imagine having your arrondissement “vibe-checked” into oblivion by a robot.
Naaman Zhou, The Guardian, March 22, 2023

Who uses vibe check?

The phrase vibe check is commonly used on social media.

It is used to ask people how they are feeling or doing.

It is also used to refer to tests of someone’s coolness or attitude.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of vibe check like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of vibe check that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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