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
5
: ribband
ribboned; ribboning; ribbons
1
2
: to rip to shreds
Synonyms
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
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Recent Examples on the Web
Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2023
Using this telescope, the researchers discovered ribbons of hydrogen gas circling each of the galaxies, called NGC 4632 and NGC 6156.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2023
The first, simplest and most peaceful lacks even a ribbon.
—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
The city of Huntsville cut the ribbons Wednesday to open two recreational parks adjacent to each other in John Hunt Park but with decidedly different objectives.
—Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
Those slivers were then further dissected into hundreds of 10-micron slices, almost impossibly thin ribbons of neural matter that were stained and put into slides for McKee or one of her team to analyze under a microscope.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2023
The president thanked everyone who worked on the renovations and shared a video on social media of the ribbon cutting.
—CBS News, 8 Sep. 2023
Tempe's Mayor Corey Woods and Councilwoman Arlene Chin were present at the ribbon cutting and proclaimed Sept. 7 Voodoo Doughnut Day.
—Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
People gather to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Butterfield Trailhead Regional Park on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.
—Alixel Cabrera, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
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
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Noun
Fashion’s love affair with ribbons has officially made its way from the spring runways to the (almost) fall front row, and Emma Watson’s interpretation of the trend more wearable than whimsical.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2023
Using this telescope, the researchers discovered ribbons of hydrogen gas circling each of the galaxies, called NGC 4632 and NGC 6156.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2023
The first, simplest and most peaceful lacks even a ribbon.
—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
The city of Huntsville cut the ribbons Wednesday to open two recreational parks adjacent to each other in John Hunt Park but with decidedly different objectives.
—Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
Those slivers were then further dissected into hundreds of 10-micron slices, almost impossibly thin ribbons of neural matter that were stained and put into slides for McKee or one of her team to analyze under a microscope.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2023
The president thanked everyone who worked on the renovations and shared a video on social media of the ribbon cutting.
—CBS News, 8 Sep. 2023
Tempe's Mayor Corey Woods and Councilwoman Arlene Chin were present at the ribbon cutting and proclaimed Sept. 7 Voodoo Doughnut Day.
—Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
People gather to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Butterfield Trailhead Regional Park on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.
—Alixel Cabrera, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
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
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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
Phrases Containing ribbon
Dictionary Entries Near ribbon
Cite this Entry
“Ribbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ribbon. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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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
adjective
-ˌlīk
More from Merriam-Webster on ribbon
Nglish: Translation of ribbon for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ribbon for Arabic Speakers
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