What it means
Calling dibs is the fast, cheeky way to claim something before anyone else gets their hands on it. You slap it on a seat, the last slice, a lift, whatever, and most people treat it like playground law. Not legally binding, obviously, but socially it's got teeth. Ignore someone's dibs and you're asking for aggro.
Usage examples
"Dibs on the last pizza slice. Nah mate, you can’t call dibs from the sofa. Watch me, I just did. Touch it and you’re buying the next one."
"I've got dibs on the window seat for the whole journey."
"She called dibs on the last slice before anyone else reached for it."
"Oi, dibs on the charger. My phone's on 2 percent and spiritually already in the grave."
"He yelled dibs on the front seat before we'd even found the car keys."
Where it comes from
Dibs is usually traced back to the old children's game dibstones, a jacks-type game where a player could claim a turn or a piece. That little playground claim-call stuck around and spread into everyday speech, so now you can call dibs on anything from a chair to the last chip.
Other ways to say it
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