Vibe
A mood or feeling; to vibe is to relax and enjoy yourself.
- Origin: 1960s shortening of vibrations; Green’s records verb uses from the 1970s
- On the Slang-o-matic wheel: Millennials (born 1981–1996). That is who the translator files it under, not a claim that this generation coined it.
What it means
As a noun, a vibe is the mood of a place, person or situation. Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “the mood of a place, situation, person, etc. and the way that they make you feel,” as in a laid-back vibe or bad vibes.
As a verb, to vibe is to relax and enjoy yourself. Dictionary.com defines it as “to spend relaxed, unstructured time,” often followed by with, as in vibing with friends, and also as to “be compatible,” as in someone you vibe with.
Where it comes from
Green’s explains vibe as an abbreviation of “vibrations.” Dictionary.com calls the noun an Americanism from 1965–70. Green’s Dictionary of Slang quotes two 1967 magazines: the New Yorker on “giving off bad vibes,” and the rock magazine Crawdaddy saying the Monterey Pop Festival produced “nothing but good vibes.”
Green’s has verb uses from the 1970s, in the sense of giving off an atmosphere. For the enjoy-yourself sense, Green’s lists a 1998 hip-hop magazine quote, “We just vibe off the track right there,” and a 2024 parents’ guide that explains vibing as hanging out and having fun.
Who says it now
The translator files vibe under Millennials by its own convention; the noun dates from the late 1960s, while the enjoy-yourself verb sense has a listed citation from 1998. In our observation “vibe” and “vibes” are now everyday words for mood, used across age groups.
Tone
Relaxed and positive in most uses. “Bad vibes” is a polite way to say something felt wrong without having to explain why, which can be useful or frustratingly vague.
What adults hear, what kids mean
Parents who grew up with “good vibes” may be surprised to hear it used as a verb. A teenager who says they were “just vibing” at a friend’s house means they were hanging out and nothing special happened.
How to use it
Noun: good vibes, a cozy vibe, “this place has a vibe.” Verb: “we were just vibing,” “I vibe with her.”
Two examples, written by us:
- The café has a quiet, bookish vibe I really like.
- We did not do much, just vibed by the lake all afternoon.
How to answer it
If someone says they vibe with you, they like your company, so say the feeling is mutual if it is. If a kid says a place gave them bad vibes, take it seriously and ask what they noticed.
Same idea, other generations
The Slang-o-matic wheel files Vibe under Millennials for the idea of hanging out and having fun. These are the words it files under the same idea, by generation. They are related, not always exact translations:
Related slang
- Chill (Gen X): To relax; relaxed and easygoing.
- Lit (Millennials): Exciting, excellent. Also has an older meaning: drunk.
- Slay (Gen Z): To do something brilliantly or look amazing.
Try the slang translatorAll slang by generation
Sources
Meanings and dates on this page come from these dictionaries. Each quote is copied word for word from the linked page.
- Cambridge Dictionary
“the mood of a place, situation, person, etc. and the way that they make you feel”
- Dictionary.com
“to spend relaxed, unstructured time (often followed by with).”
“be compatible; be in agreement or harmony (followed by with).”
“Origin of vibe An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; by shortening”
- Green's Dictionary of Slang
“abbr. SE vibrations”
“1967 New Yorker 43:6 56/3: There's no sense in going around looking like that, giving off bad vibes.”
“1967 Crawdaddy 10-23 32: The MONTEREY POP FESTIVAL, contrary to some expectations, has produced nothing but good vibes.”
- Green's Dictionary of Slang
“1975 L. Bangs in Psychotic Reactions (1988) 173: He's sitting there vibing away in his black T-shirt and shades.”
“1998 Hip-Hop Connection Dec. 21: We just vibe off the track right there.”
“It means just hanging out and having fun.”