vibe

plural vibes

1. in pluralinformaloftenAn atmosphere or aura felt to belong to a person, place or thing.First known use c. 1960s

   The couple canceled their night out when they got a bad vibe from the new babysitter.

   5 more examples

   And I'm here to prove to you / That we can party on the positive side / And pump positive vibes / So come along for the ride

   1991, “Good Vibrations”, performed by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

   As I passed the stables and thanked the caretaker, I sensed nasty vibes. It was time to go.

   1998, John Harris, No voice from the hall, John Murray, →ISBN, page 176

   I like her. I get good vibes from her.

   2014 July 7, Pat Simmons, Guilty of Love, Generation Quest Press

   This place is giving me bad vibes.

   2016 May 24, Matt de la Peña, The Hunted, Ember, →ISBN, page 150

   I have no problem with nudity. I'm, like, a total nudist. But that's just not my vibe, artistry-wise. A little mystery goes a long way for me.

   2022 September 7, Elizabeth Wagmeister, “Can Kelly Clarkson Save Daytime? The Host on Taking Over Ellen’s Spot, Touring Again and Broadway Dreams”, in Variety

   Synonyms: feeling

2. informalplural normallyGut feeling, an impression based on intuition instead of solid data.

   But when decision time came, performance metrics won out over vibes. HH [ChatGPT version] was released on Friday, April 25.

   2025 November 23, Kashmir Hill, Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, “What OpenAI Did When ChatGPT Users Lost Touch With Reality”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC

   2 more examples

   I guess I was going on vibes alone, and was not thinking about something called common sense. I was completely mesmerized just being in the company of such a beautiful lady.

   2009 08, J. B. Carpenter, My Dearest Love: Search for My Soulmate, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 4

   Analysts trot out all sorts of valuation models, but most of the time, they make educated guesses based on vibes and their gut feeling.

   2024 May 30, Kyla Scanlon, In This Economy?: How Money and Markets Really Work, Random House, →ISBN

   1. attributiveinformalplural normallyThe use of AI to perform a task without expertise, generally without validating the output deeply.

      So “vibe cooking” does not mean making it up as I go. It means cooking with enough guidance to stay flexible.

      2026 May 6, Bian, “How I work with AI: vibe cooking crème brûlée”, in Master Ginger

3. informalpreceded by theSomething that is good, trendy, pleasant, or atmospheric; a thing or person with a good vibe.

   “I didn’t know how to feel. I was a little bit shocked, to be honest,” Brown says. “It was not the vibe, you know what I mean? That’s the way I always describe it. It was not good vibes.”

   2023 March 21, Logan Murdock, “Jaylen Brown Is Trying to Find a Balance”, in The Ringer

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   Once inside, Clayton wasted no time testing his chemistry with the women, kissing Teddi, Kira, Eliza, Cassidy and Rachel. However, not all of his relationships were so easy — Claire announced to the other contestants that her one-on-one time with Clayton was “not the vibe,” noting that he was too nice for her.

   2022 January 3, Erin Crabtree, “‘The Bachelor’ Premiere Recap: Clayton Echard Has 1st Rose Rejected as Salley Quits Before Night 1”, in Us Weekly

   I’ve noticed my attitude just hasn’t been the vibe lately. Yesterday I totally lost it at a restaurant because my pasta was only 18 C, which is two degrees below normal room temperature—like two degrees! How could they?

   2022 October 27, Paloma Torres, quoting Potentially Petty/Hot Person, “Advice Column: Am I becoming hotter or just pettier? Paloma Torres answers the age-old question constantly on everyone's minds”, in The Eyeopener, volume 56, number 7, page 3

   Substack certainly knows this. It tried to raise last year, seeking $75 million to $100 million from investors. But it had revenue of only $9 million in 2021, and a sky-high valuation on relatively little revenue was not the vibe in 2022. The company gave up.

   2023 March 28, Elizabeth Lopatto, “How much money do we think Substack lost last year?”, in The Verge

4. colloquialpluralplural onlyA vibraphone.First known use earlier 20th c.
5. informalVibration.First known use later 20th c.
6. informalA vibrator (sex toy).First known use later 20th c.

   […] a vibe that has a separate control unit connected by a thin cable.

   2021, Jaqueline George, Make Love to Your Man: A User Manual, Q-Press Publishing, →ISBN, →OCLC

   4 more examples

   Water and electricity might not mix, but water and battery-powered fun sure do. Whether you are using a vibe alone or with a partner, in the tub or in the shower, the sensation of intense vibration feels especially nice underwater. Although waterproof vibrators can resemble anything from a lipstick to a kitty cat, most have one of four basic designs.

   2008, Tamar Love, “Turning On in the Tub”, in The Sensual Bath: Soaking in Pleasure and Passion (Sex/Relationships), Sterling/Ravenous, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 86, column 1

   But there was still the faint sound of her vibrator humming away under the blanket.[…]Her teeth were clenched, and her hair was looking a little wild. Had she been rolling around under there, rocking herself onto her vibe?

   2013, Erin McCarthy, chapter 7, in Full Throttle, New York: Berkley Sensation, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 97

   It's a great idea to get good at using vibrators both on yourself (if you like them) and on partners. For many women, vibrators are part and parcel of good sex. Sometimes you'll like having unassisted sex for a while and then finish off with a vibrator. Sometimes a vibe can be great to add to penetrative sex.

   2016, Allison Moon, “Mapping Your Route: Anatomy & Orgasm”, in Girl Sex 101, 2nd edition, Lunatic Ink, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 117

   It was getting harder to keep using the vibrator on her clit while fucking her, so I replaced it with my tongue. My own pussy needed something, so I switched the other vibrator on and worked my clit with it. Really, it took some coordination to keep fucking her with the cucumber, while slurping on her clitoris and rubbing my own with a vibe.

   2020, Jessie Harrington, Forbidden Family Secrets - The Rougher Anthology of 150 Explicit Sex Stories (Fiction), Ronnie Butler, page https://books.google.com/books?id=pG7-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1231

present singular third person vibes · participle present vibing · participle past vibed · past vibed

1. colloquialtransitiveTo stimulate 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, page 49

2. colloquialintransitiveTo relax and enjoy oneself.
3. colloquialintransitiveTo agree.

   Maria took him through the events of the next morning and his recollection vibed with his statement at the time.

   2015, Tony Cavanaugh, Kingdom of the Strong

   1 more example

   Besides, even if you don't vibe with his subject matter, he is a style king of West Coast, down-tempo gangsta-pimp music.

   2000 November 28, Vibe, volume 8, page 60

   Synonyms: jibe

4. colloquialintransitiveTo get along; to hit it off.

   Sam started out being someone I totally vibed with on every level.

   2012, Nikki Carter, Time to Shine, page 9

   3 more examples

   Nothing can happen between us, okay? I know you were vibing me and all when we first met, but now that I know who you are, it would be disrespectful.

   2011, Qui Nguyen, She Kills Monsters, spoken by Chuck Biggs, New York, N.Y.: Samuel French, scene I

   Nervous and shaky but feigning confidence, I completed the interview with ease and even managed to vibe with the country cutie.

   2014, Mandy Hale, I've Never Been to Vegas, but My Luggage Has

   It was odd, because there was always one person I didn't vibe with in every office I spent time in, sometimes multiple people like in the case with Amazon.

   2016, Steven Barker, Now for the Disappointing Part: A Pseudo-Adult's Decade of Short-Term Jobs

5. colloquialtransitiveTo feel in agreement with; to appreciate or enjoy.

   Nia was glad she'd let Rico bring her to the club as she vibed with the fusion of Latin sounds and American hip-hop.

   2012, Sam Hunter, Book One: A Makaveli Prince's Novel

   1 more example

   He was quoting scriptures and stuff from the bible to me and I actually was vibing it, but I know I'm not down with the whole church thing […]

   2014, Catherine Tukes, Hannah's Song, page 57

6. colloquialtransitivejazzTo treat (a fellow performer) in a condescending or insulting manner, typically during a performance or jam session, to signal to them that they are unsatisfactory.
7. intransitivetransitivecomputingTo vibe code; to accomplish with the help of generative AI.

   I vibed a proof of Conway's conjecture.