ripe

adjective \ ˈrīp \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: ripe in a Sentence

Definition of ripe

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

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ripely

adverb

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ripeness

noun

See ripe defined for English-language learners

See ripe defined for kids

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 of ripe from the Web

Combined with his subsequent campaign for a world without war, Wilson would seemingly be ripe for hero status among modern-day liberals.

— kate keller, Smithsonian, "Woodrow Wilson’s Papers Go Digital, Leaving Microfiche Behind," 9 June 2018
But the issue was ripe for discussion in the week after the May 15 primary election on a Yahoo message board for Pennsylvania election officials, according to emails obtained by the Inquirer and Daily News.

— chris brennan, Philly.com, "Judge dismisses lawsuit between two warring political factions in Northeast Philly," 8 June 2018
Ahmed suggested time may be ripe for dialogue with the Syrian government, which has opposed the Turkey-U.S. deal on Manbij.

— Washington Post, "Syrian Kurdish officials say group ready to talk to Damascus," 6 June 2018
Conditions were ripe for a squall: The week’s main event, Consensus conference, tripled in size over the year prior, drawing roughly 8,500 people to Wall Street’s home.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "Blockchain Week: When Crypto Took New York City by Storm," 18 May 2018
And after the 2016 presidential election, Stacey knew the time was ripe speak out on issues dear to her.

— sari botton, Longreads, "The Future is Female … Politicians," 17 May 2018
But technically, the conditions would be ripe for the yuan’s emergence as a more credible rival to the dollar.

— The Economist, "China’s vanished current-account surplus will change the world economy," 17 May 2018
Yet on June 1, conditions will be ripe for Helene, Isaac, and Michael—just a few of the names in line for tropical cyclones that form in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico in 2018.

— emily atkin, The New Republic, "America Is Not Ready for This (Again)," 15 May 2018
Scientists are keeping a close eye on the levels of molten rock deep inside Kilauea and believe conditions are ripe for a major explosion in the next few days, reports CBS News' Carter Evans.

— CBS News, "Hawaii volcano eruption could blast fridge-sized boulders, ash into the air," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ripe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ripe

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

ripe Synonyms

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

RIPE Defined for English Language Learners

ripe

adjective

Definition of ripe for English Language Learners

of fruits and vegetables : fully grown and developed and ready to be eaten
: ready or suitable for something
of food and especially cheese : brought to full flavor or the best state by being stored for a period of time

RIPE Defined for Kids

ripe

adjective \ ˈrīp \

Definition of ripe for Students

riper; ripest

1 : fully grown and developed

ripe fruit

2 : of advanced years

a ripe old age

3 : ¹ready 1

They were ripe for action.

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ripeness

noun

Law Dictionary

ripe

adjective

legal Definition of ripe

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

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