Meaning & use
fab
Last updated
UK/fæb/
US/fæb/
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Very good, exciting or enjoyable; a casual shortening of fabulous.
Grammar: Appears before a noun or after a verb: a fab idea, the party was fab.
Patterns
- fab at something
- a fab idea
We had a fab time at the beach.
That is a fab jacket; where did you find it?
The new cafe has a fab view of the river.
Common combinations
- fab idea
- That's a fab idea; let's do it.
- fab time
- The kids had a fab time at the fair.
- look fab
- You look fab in that coat.
- fab news
- I have fab news about your application.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fabulous
- Fabulous is the full form and works in more formal settings, while fab is chatty.
- brilliant
- Brilliant is also British, but sounds more current and is common in everyday speech.
- great
- Great is the neutral all-round choice, and fab adds playful enthusiasm.
- groovy
- Groovy is similar in era but sounds distinctly retro and American.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fab or fabric?
fab vs fabric
Fabric means cloth and is never a short form of fab; fab is a slang adjective meaning wonderful.
Practice
Which word could replace fab in the sentence: We had a fab weekend?
Choose one answer.
Fab is short for fabulous. The other options are negative or unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fab”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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