Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kibitz

/ˈkɪbɪts/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.27 in modern English

Syllables: kib-itz
IPA: /ˈkɪbɪts/

21

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make small talk or idle chatter.

Intransitive verb

verb

To give unsolicited or unwanted advice or make unhelpful or idle comments, especially to someone playing a game.

Intransitive verb

verb

To watch a card or board game.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Louise and I used to head down to the coffee shop and just sit for hours and kibitz."
"His wife Karen listened as John and I kibitzed about our experiences at the University of Oklahoma some 40 years ago."
"Okay, we kibitzed enough. What brings you?"
"Their owners lounge at the outdoor tables, kibitzing about cranksets, aero bars, local races or, when they can help it, anything other than cycling."
"So how it’s gonna go is we’re gonna talk for about 45 minutes. We’re just gonna kibbitz here; that’s Yiddish for just kinda like […]"
"Quit kibitzing! You're giving away my hand!"

Etymology

From Yiddish קיבעצן (kibetsn), cognate to German kiebitzen (“to look on”), from German Kiebitz (“lapwing”), from Middle High German gibiz (“plover”), imitative of its cry. Compare peewit.

Origin

Source language: Yiddish

Word Breakdown

Root: קיבעצן, Kiebitz, gibiz

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɪbɪts/
British English: /ˈkɪbɪts/

Usage

Inflected Forms

kibitzes (present, singular) kibitzing (participle, present) kibitzed (participle, past) kibitzed (past) kibbitz (alternative)

Derived Forms

kibitzer

Phrases

armchair general

Frequently Paired Words

armchair general

Synonyms

chat gossip kibbitz

Questions

How do you pronounce kibitz?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɪbɪts/.
What does kibitz mean?: To make small talk or idle chatter.
Where does kibitz come from?: It is traced to Yiddish.

How to pronounce kibitz

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kibitz”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɪbɪts/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kibitz”.
Repeat and practice — Say “kibitz” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.