ripe

adjective

ˈrīp 

riper; ripest

1

: fully grown and developed : mature

ripe fruit

ripe wheat

2

: having mature knowledge, understanding, or judgment

3

: of advanced years : late

a ripe old age

4

a

: suitable, appropriate

the time was ripe for the attempt

b

: fully prepared : ready

the colonies were ripe for revolution

5

a

: brought by aging to full flavor or the best state : mellow

ripe cheese

b

: smelly, stinking

6

: ruddy, plump, or full like ripened fruit

a ripe figure

7

: indecent

ripe language

ripely adverb

ripeness noun

Synonyms

• matured
• mature
• ripened

Examples of ripe in a Sentence

The apples are nearly ripe.

the clothes of the field hands were sweaty and ripe after a hard day's work

Recent Examples on the Web

Nate Bellinger, an attorney with Our Children's Trust, said Wisconsin laws are ripe for a challenge. —Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Only 1/3rd of households have only one car, so 2/3rds are ripe for car replacement at the right price. —Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025

This will still be a relatively safe seat for Garcia, Trujillo predicted, but the new district could be ripe for a credible Republican challenger who could make re-election for Garcia — or election for a different Democratic candidate — tougher. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 19 Aug. 2025

If soils have been dry or inadequately irrigated, consider harvesting nearly ripe fruit before rainstorm events to avoid cracking. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English rīpe; akin to Old English rīpan, reopan to reap

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing ripe

• ripe for abuse
• ripe old age
• ripe with

Rhymes for ripe

• gripe
• hype
• lipe
• pipe
• sipe
• skype
• snipe
• stipe
• stripe
• strype
• swipe
• tripe

Kids Definition

ripe

adjective

ˈrīp 

riper; ripest

1

: fully grown and developed

a ripe tomato

2

: having mature knowledge, understanding, or judgment

3

: ready entry 1 sense 1

ripe for action

4

: brought to just the right state

ripely adverb

ripeness noun

Legal Definition

ripe

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being a claim for relief that is ready for judicial resolution because the injury is certain to occur and is not merely hypothetical or speculative compare moot

2

: ready and appropriate for disclosure because reasonably determined to be valid and not required to be kept secret for business reasons

—used of corporate information

ripeness noun