Illustration of rib
- ribs 1a
1
a
: any of the paired curved bony or partly cartilaginous rods that stiffen the walls of the body of most vertebrates and protect the viscera
b(1)
: a cut of meat including a rib see beef illustration
(2)
: a boneless cut of meat (such as beef or pork) from a rib section
c
[from the account of Eve's creation from Adam's rib in Genesis 2:21–22]
: wife
2
: something resembling a rib in shape or function: such as
a(1)
: a traverse member of the frame of a ship that runs from keel to deck
(2)
: a light fore-and-aft member in an airplane's wing
b
: one of the stiff strips supporting an umbrella's fabric
c
: one of the arches in Romanesque and Gothic vaulting meeting and crossing one another and dividing the whole vaulted space into triangles
3
: an elongated ridge: such as
a(1)
: a vein of an insect's wing
(2)
: one of the primary veins of a leaf
b
: one of the ridges in a knitted or woven fabric
ribbed; ribbing
Synonyms
Examples of rib in a Sentence
Noun (2)
the movie is a rib of the "dramatic love story" that was so popular in the 1950s
began to lose his sense of humor after being the butt of his friends' ribs once too often
Verb (2)
ribbed him a bit about fumbling such an easy play
Recent Examples on the Web
San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2024
Rehab report Blake Treinen, sidelined since early March because of fractured ribs, threw scoreless innings in back-to-back games for triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Thursday, and Roberts said the veteran right-hander could be activated on this homestand.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024
If the manic procession of goofs, gags and aggressive rib nudges don’t leave you in stitches, wait a 0.5 seconds and maybe something will inspire you to laugh.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
Responding medical personnel said the man appeared to have several broken ribs as a result, court documents say.
—Ashley Luthern, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
Brittany wore a Sau Lee gown with a crystal crop top that showed off her abs and rib tattoo.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Doctors tried for more than two minutes to resuscitate her by pumping air into her mouth and tapping the tissue-paper skin stretched over her ribs.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 27 Apr. 2024
Those hunks of meat and slabs of ribs will be prepared with seasonings, rubs, and marinade before hitting the grates set over glowing embers and headed for barbecue perfection.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2024
Billy Joe Maynard, 63, sustained three broken ribs and a ruptured spleen in the incident, the Ozark Police Department said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Melody Chiu, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
In Turlington's, the model wears a sophisticated, yet flirty, ribbed bodycon dress, while Burns wears a denim outfit accessorized with mismatched socks.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
Lenny’s daughter wasn’t the only one who gently ribbed 59-year-old the ab-tastic rock icon.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
What's more, both pieces are ribbed knit and can be worn out to drinks or at the airport bar.
—Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024
With a cacophony of saws, nail guns and heavily accented (but good-natured) bickering and ribbing among the siblings and the crew, the magic happens over and over.
—Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
Downey and Susan are both fans of Mayor of Kingstown, Renner’s Paramount+ series, and so the star ribbed his friend about getting out of the hospital and getting back to set.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024
It's decorated with traditional watchmaking art like ribbing, perlage, and sunburst finishes, alongside blued screws and gold engravings, providing up to 43 hours of power reserve.
—Matthew Catellier, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Brown then puts Bongiovi on room service duty, but not without ribbing him.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
Some people are born with an extra set of ribs or digits, bumping up their final total.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2024
Rehab report Blake Treinen, sidelined since early March because of fractured ribs, threw scoreless innings in back-to-back games for triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Thursday, and Roberts said the veteran right-hander could be activated on this homestand.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024
If the manic procession of goofs, gags and aggressive rib nudges don’t leave you in stitches, wait a 0.5 seconds and maybe something will inspire you to laugh.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
Responding medical personnel said the man appeared to have several broken ribs as a result, court documents say.
—Ashley Luthern, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
Brittany wore a Sau Lee gown with a crystal crop top that showed off her abs and rib tattoo.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Doctors tried for more than two minutes to resuscitate her by pumping air into her mouth and tapping the tissue-paper skin stretched over her ribs.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 27 Apr. 2024
Those hunks of meat and slabs of ribs will be prepared with seasonings, rubs, and marinade before hitting the grates set over glowing embers and headed for barbecue perfection.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2024
Billy Joe Maynard, 63, sustained three broken ribs and a ruptured spleen in the incident, the Ozark Police Department said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
On The Tortured Poets Department's title track, the Grammy winner, 34, cheekily ribs her paramour about his penchant for old-fashioned typewriters and for likening himself to legendary poets.
—Melody Chiu, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
In Turlington's, the model wears a sophisticated, yet flirty, ribbed bodycon dress, while Burns wears a denim outfit accessorized with mismatched socks.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
Lenny’s daughter wasn’t the only one who gently ribbed 59-year-old the ab-tastic rock icon.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
What's more, both pieces are ribbed knit and can be worn out to drinks or at the airport bar.
—Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024
With a cacophony of saws, nail guns and heavily accented (but good-natured) bickering and ribbing among the siblings and the crew, the magic happens over and over.
—Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
Downey and Susan are both fans of Mayor of Kingstown, Renner’s Paramount+ series, and so the star ribbed his friend about getting out of the hospital and getting back to set.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024
It's decorated with traditional watchmaking art like ribbing, perlage, and sunburst finishes, alongside blued screws and gold engravings, providing up to 43 hours of power reserve.
—Matthew Catellier, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Brown then puts Bongiovi on room service duty, but not without ribbing him.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rib.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rib
Cite this Entry
“Rib.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rib. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rib
1 of 3 noun1
a
: one of the series of curved bones of the chest of most vertebrates that are joined to the spinal column in pairs and help to support the body wall and protect the organs inside
b
: a cut of meat including a rib
2
: something (as a piece of wire supporting the fabric of an umbrella) resembling a rib
3
a
: a major vein of an insect's wing or of a leaf
b
: one of the parallel ridges in a knitted or woven fabric
rib
2 of 3 verb
ribbed; ribbing
1
: to furnish or enclose with ribs
2
: to form ribs in a fabric in knitting or weaving
ribber
noun
Medical Definition
rib
noun
: any of the paired curved bony or partly cartilaginous rods that stiffen the lateral walls of the body of most vertebrates and protect the viscera, that occur in mammals exclusively or almost exclusively in the thoracic region, and that in humans normally include 12 pairs of which all are articulated with the spinal column at the dorsal end and the first 10 are connected also at the ventral end with the sternum by costal cartilages see false rib, floating rib, true rib
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