noun
Uncommon
lib
LIHB
Lib (noun) means Shortened, informal form of "liberation," especially in political or social movements. Example: “The 1970s women's lib movement pushed for equal rights.”
noun
1
Shortened, informal form of "liberation," especially in political or social movements.
"The 1970s women's lib movement pushed for equal rights."
2
Shortened form of "library," especially in computing to mean a collection of reusable code.
"The app imports a graphics lib to handle image rendering."
"You will need to install the lib before your program can read these files."
"Our team wrote a small lib that other developers can reuse in their projects."
How to use lib
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn informal shortening — meaning either "liberation" (as in "women's lib") or a code "library" in programming.
When to use it
Informal/colloquial in both senses.
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Word forms
- Plural
- libs
- Third person singular
- libs
- Past tense
- libbed
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The 1970s women's _____ movement pushed for equal rights.
Etymology
A clipped form of words beginning with "lib-," most often "liberation," "liberal," or "library."
Rhymes for lib
See all rhymes for lib →Frequently asked questions
What does “lib” mean?
The word “lib” means shortened, informal form of "liberation," especially in political or social movements. In plain terms, an informal shortening — meaning either "liberation" (as in "women's lib") or a code "library" in programming.
How do you pronounce “lib”?
“Lib” is pronounced LIHB (/ˈlɪb/ in IPA).
How do you use “lib” in a sentence?
Here is “lib” used in a sentence: “The 1970s women's lib movement pushed for equal rights.”
What part of speech is “lib”?
“Lib” is a noun.
Is “lib” a common word?
“Lib” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “lib” have?
“Lib” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: shortened, informal form of "liberation," especially in political or social movements.
Is "lib" formal or informal English?
"Lib" is an informal, clipped form used in casual speech and writing. In political contexts it shortens "liberation" (as in "women's lib"), while in computing it shortens "library" (a collection of reusable code). Formal writing should spell out the full word.
What does "lib" mean in programming?
In a coding context, "lib" refers to a library — a packaged collection of reusable code, functions, or resources that a program can call on. You'll often see it as a folder name (e.g. "/lib") or a filename prefix in software projects.
What is the difference between "lib" and "liberation" in political usage?
"Lib" is simply an informal shorthand for "liberation," most familiar from phrases like "women's lib" describing the women's liberation movement. The two words mean the same thing; "lib" is just the casual, spoken form.
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