ribbon

1 of 2

noun

rib·​bon ˈri-bən How to pronounce ribbon (audio)
1
a
: a flat or tubular narrow closely woven fabric (as of silk or rayon) used for trimmings or knitting
b
: a narrow fabric used for tying packages
c
: a piece of usually multicolored ribbon worn as a military decoration or in place of a medal
d
: a strip of colored satin given for winning a place in a competition
2
: a strip of inked fabric (as in a typewriter)
3
ribbons plural : reins for controlling an animal
4
: tatter, shred
usually used in plural
a sheet cut to ribbons
5
ribbonlike adjective

ribbon

2 of 2

verb

ribboned; ribboning; ribbons

transitive verb

1
a
: to adorn with ribbons
b
: to divide into ribbons
c
: to cover with or as if with ribbons
2
: to rip to shreds

Examples of ribbon in a Sentence

Noun She wore pink ribbons in her hair. She tied a ribbon around the present. The present was tied with ribbon. The soldier proudly wore his ribbons and medals. Her pie won a ribbon at the county fair. Verb over the years the historic flag had become badly ribboned by the wind
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Autumn Schrader, 5, triumphantly carried her bright white cat named Super Nova, an 11-month-old Himalayan Persian, nearly the size of Autumn and dressed as a bunny rabbit, through the crowd after receiving the first-place ribbon. Nhat V. Meyer, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 Aldi —a German brand whose U.S. arm is headquartered in Batavia, Illinois — will cut the ribbon on new brick-and-mortar stores through a combination of new openings and store conversions. Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 Further enhance your table by wrapping a tea towel around a pillar candle and tying it in place with a ribbon (just remove before lighting!). Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 There will be stilt walkers, aerial ribbon dancers and a tribal drum ceremony. Sophia Liang, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 At the Grammys, the superstar wore a white $440 Stetson cowboy hat over her blonde hair, as well as a Louis Vuitton skirt suit and a white shirt tied with a black ribbon tie. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 The ribbon video board above the east stand was also enlarged, and a video screen was added to the facing of the members’ club on the east side of The Cauldron. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024 Related Video Baggy Jeans, Baby Hairs, and Haute Couture: Jennifer Lopez Sounds off on Her Life in Looks Lewis Carroll dressed her as an innocent in satin and ribbons. Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 Yet later, on a visit to her Central Park West apartment, Ms. Streisand proudly showed him a kitschy pink and blue porcelain mirror, its frame covered with cupids, flowers and ribbons. Penelope Green, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Here’s a peek at the new flavors and some of the ingredients that inspired them: Lemon curd & whey This light and citrusy flavor uses whey as a substitute for lemon juice to make lemon curd that ribbons throughout the ice cream base. oregonlive, 24 May 2023 Introduce the color in small doses: a throw on the couch, ribbon on a wreath, trim around a lampshade, or even gift wrap on the packages. Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Nov. 2022 To make way for the new highways that ribbon through Cairo, leading to the new city, builders razed vast patches of trees in the elegant old neighborhood of Heliopolis. Vivian Yee, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022 Attach important photos to construction paper and hang them from string or a clothesline using clothespins (if your party is indoors, attach them to twine or ribbon and hang from a mantel or across a wall). Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2022 As the road began to ribbon up and around the southern slope of the mountain, everything subtly shifted. Maria Shollenbarger, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2022 The Hoover Dam went from legislation to ribbon cutting in eight years. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 16 June 2022 Look 1 Kenneth Nicholson white gauze Dorcas tunic with letter and ribbon pocket detail from his spring/summer 2019 collection and vintage black sweatpants. Lindzi Scharf, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021 The Orland Park native and Sandburg graduate was the 2021 U.S. ball champion and the all-around, clubs and ribbon silver medalist. Colleen Kane, chicagotribune.com, 19 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ribbon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English riban, from Anglo-French ribane, rubane

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ribbon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ribbon

Cite this Entry

“Ribbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ribbon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ribbon

noun
rib·​bon
ˈrib-ən
1
a
: a narrow usually closely woven strip of colorful fabric (as silk) used especially for decoration
b
: a ribbon worn as a military decoration or as a symbol of a medal
c
: a ribbon given as an award in a competition
2
: a strip of inked fabric (as in a typewriter)
3
: tatter sense 1, shred
usually used in plural
torn to ribbons
ribbonlike
-ˌlīk
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on ribbon

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