rib

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈrib 

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

Illustration of rib

• ribs 1a

rib

2 of 4

verb (1)

ribbed; ribbing

transitive verb

1

: to furnish or enclose with ribs

2

: to knit so as to form vertical ridges in

rib

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

: joke

2

: parody

rib

4 of 4

verb (2)

ribbed; ribbing

transitive verb

: to poke fun at : kid

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• burlesque
• caricature
• parody
• put-on
• send-up
• spoof
• takeoff
• travesty

Verb (2)

• chaff
• jive
• joke
• josh
• kid
• rally
• razz
• ride
• roast
• tease

Examples of rib in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The rally started when Hess hit Sprague-Lott in the ribs with a fastball. —Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 13 Apr. 2024

The vein is boxed into the space by two muscles: the anterior scalene, a neck muscle that runs from three upper vertebrae to the first rib, and the subclavius muscle that connects that first rib to the clavicle. —Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, ribs are devoured, beer is guzzled and, when conflict ratchets up, shots are thrown back. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

He was taken to Mount Auburn Hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung. —Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Like her other photos, her rib tattoo is on full display and her blonde hair is down and blowing in the wind. —Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

People in Austin travel over miles to find the best brisket, ribs or sausage. —Gary Stern, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Diners in Atlanta can soon make plans to feast on enormous beef ribs served with nuoc cham, while in New York, sesame milk bread slathered with pimento cheese will be in the spotlight at a promising chef’s first solo restaurant. —Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 28 Mar. 2024

There will be a carving station of roast prime rib beef, Black Oak Dearborn ham, roasted leg of lamb and an omelet station. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 20 Mar. 2024

Verb

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

This ribbed long sleeve is sleek, smooths your stomach, and stays in place with its snap closure. —Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2024

Here are some of the standout performances of the two-hour-plus event, hosted by an appropriately ribbing Jim Gaffigan. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English ribb; akin to Old High German rippi rib, Old Church Slavonic rebro, and probably to Greek erephein to roof over

Verb (2) and Noun (2)

probably from rib entry 1; from the tickling of the ribs to cause laughter

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1912, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rib

• rib cage
• floating rib
• rib eye
• rib eye steak
• rib roast
• true rib
• false rib

Kids Definition

rib

1 of 3 noun

ˈrib 

1

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

rib

3 of 3 verb

ribbed; ribbing

: to make jokes about : kid

ribber noun

Medical Definition

rib

noun

ˈrib 

: 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