PIBE

What Does PIBE Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

PIBE means "Play It By Ear."

More Observations...

PIBE is a proposal to make decisions as you go along or when the time comes. The term "Play It By Ear" has musical origins. A musician "playing by ear" is not reading music but remembering the piece. (It is thought to have first been used with reference to author Jane Austen in the mid-19th century.)

Image for PIBE

When I write PIBE, I mean this:

PIBE (Play It By Ear) means to decide at the time.

Summary of Key Points

"Play It By Ear" is, by far, the most common meaning for PIBE when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

PIBE
Definition:	Play It By Ear
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of PIBE in Sentences

Here are examples of PIBE in conversations:

Tony: What time shall we meet?
Jordan: Can we PIBE? I'm juggling a lot of things at the moment.

Tony: I don't know whether to book for two or two hundred. Can we PIBE?
Jordan: Yes, that's fine. We'll have a better idea on the day.

An Academic Look at PIBE

PIBE is an initialism abbreviation. Technically, this means it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., Pee Aye Bee Ee), but as this is harder to say than "Play It By Ear," it is not often uttered using its letters. In other words, the abbreviation PIBE is for efficiency in writing and not efficiency in speech.