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Definition of gif

gif

/ɡɪf/
gif
Plural:gifs
•
Past Simple:giffed
•
Past Participle:giffed
•
Present Participle:giffing
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gif Lexical Profile

gif Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A lossless digital file format used for storing static images and short, silent, looping animations, or an image file saved in this format.

Example

"She replied to the group chat with a funny animated gif to express her excitement."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for gif

• verb

1

To convert a video clip or sequence of images into a looping animated image file in the Graphics Interchange Format.

Example

"Fans quickly giffed the most memorable moments from the live broadcast and shared them online."

Word Nuance & Usage

Both the hard 'g' (as in 'gift') and soft 'g' (as in 'gin') pronunciations are widely accepted in standard English, despite the format's creator originally prescribing the soft 'g'.

• Rhymes for gif

• Nearby Words

giddyap
giddyup
giessbach
gif
gift
giftable
gifted

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in 1987 by computer scientist Steve Wilhite at CompuServe as an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Gif. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/gif
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