ripe

adjective \ ˈrīp \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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

Even the communication medium of the internet is ripe for the occult.

— emma grey ellis, WIRED, "Witches, Frog-Gods, and the Deepening Schism of Internet Religions," 3 Apr. 2018
After all, if the two-hour Technicolor treatment is ripe for Instagram, consider the post-session snap of a lit-from-within, lifted complexion pure social media gold.

— zoe ruffner, Vogue, "This 2-Hour Skin Treatment is the Ultimate Spring Reboot—and It’s Going Viral," 30 Mar. 2018
In my experience, by the time the corn is ripe there are no visible silks because earwigs have eaten them.

— margaret lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Double-duty: Grow corn to support bean stalks too | Idaho Statesman," 28 Mar. 2018
Currently, six teams are ripe for HBO to pick from – and all are pretty interesting.

— jim owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "Bengals Xtra: How the Cincinnati Bengals made the trade for Cordy Glenn," 25 Mar. 2018
The Netflix show is ripe for parody, and any of the Fab 5 would make incredible hosts, but this video with Pete Davidson and Tan France is a good start.

— kathryn lindsay, refinery29.com, "Queer Eye's Tan France Turned Pete Davidson Into Timothée Chalamet," 21 Mar. 2018
First, blend 1 liter of vodka with two ripe—or even a little overripe—avocados and strain through a single layer of cheesecloth.

— alyse whitney, Bon Appetit, "This Avocado Toast Cocktail Is My New Favorite Brunch Drink," 13 Mar. 2018
This district, a sprawling, rural area that spans from southern San Antonio to El Paso, is ripe on paper for a Democratic gain.

— NBC News, "Democratic Gov. candidate in Texas running on 'sanity'," 6 Mar. 2018
Yes, at age 24, Norris is certainly ripe for the next step in his development.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers sign LHP Francisco Liriano for rotation, bullpen depth," 23 Feb. 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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