ripe

adjective

\ˈrīp

riper; ripest

Definition of ripe

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

4a : suitable, appropriate the time was ripe for the attempt

b : fully prepared : ready the colonies were ripe for revolution

5a : 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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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

Lush, ripe mangoes are hanging from the trees in Florida. — Linda Gassenheimer, sacbee, "Making a chicken mango salad? Soon you will get the tang of it," 10 July 2018 While trades around the All-Star Game are inevitable, the conditions are particularly ripe this year. — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, "Will Manny Machado, Brad Hand and others get traded before All-Star Game?," 9 July 2018 The Bartlett pear turns a buttery yellow when ripe, but Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Concorde, Forelle and Seckel do not change color. — Heloise, Houston Chronicle, "What are these?," 19 June 2018 In late June, summer produce is exceptionally abundant – think ripe Apache apricots, juicy Seascape strawberries, and luscious herbs. — San Francisco Chronicle, "Hands-On Farmers Market Cocktail Class with El Tesoro Tequila," 13 June 2018 And for Democrats seeking to win back the House this November, there's no target more ripe than the state of California. — NBC News, "California Democrats had a nightmare in 2012. They hope it's not back to haunt them.," 5 June 2018 Though the drama of headline-grabbing rescues often doesn't carry over the big screen, Pure Flix Entertainment co-founder Michael Scott believes the story about the 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach is ripe for movie adaptation. — Jack Coyle, chicagotribune.com, "Movie already in works about rescue of soccer team from Thailand cave," 11 July 2018 With some book clubs being advertised on city subways and even national TV shows, lucrative opportunities are ripe for marketers, publishers, and authors. — Rachel King, Fortune, "Book Clubs Are Really Having a Moment Right Now," 2 July 2018 Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are ripe, and so, as long as the player wasn’t a rental, the price was immaterial. — Marcus Hayes, Philly.com, "Sixers went all in to land LeBron James, and should do the same for Kawhi Leonard | Marcus Hayes," 1 July 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.

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Dictionary Entries near ripe

Phrases Related to ripe

ripe for abuse

ripe old age

ripe with

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Last Updated

18 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for ripe

The first known use of ripe was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for ripe

ripe

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of ripe

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

See the full definition for ripe in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ripe

adjective

\ˈrīp

riper; ripest

Kids Definition of ripe

1 : fully grown and developed ripe fruit

2 : of advanced years a ripe old age

3 : ready entry 1 sense 1 They were ripe for action.

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