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

Fruit flies have a taste for too-ripe fruit (other produce, too!) and thrive on high-fructose substances. — Natalie Schumann, Country Living, "How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies for Good," 9 May 2019 Julia Mller / EyeEmGetty Images What January does for our fitness routines and careers, spring and summer seem to do for our wardrobes—suddenly everything feels ripe for reinvention. — Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson, Marie Claire, "The Do's and Don't's of a Closet Refresh," 6 May 2019 Focusing on an internal social community and attainable ownership, the condominiums are being built in historic Nihonmachi (Japantown) — a city-central neighborhood ripe with culture, history and a bright future. — Koda, The Seattle Times, "Opening of sales gallery, public sales debut set for March 30," 29 Mar. 2019 The sensibility is an acute understanding of what makes soccer the one true international sport, and what makes Miami so ripe to give it a group hug. — Greg Cote, miamiherald, "Why Beckham group's pitch for MLS Miami is so perfect, and also so right for the times," 28 June 2018 But with all the new suiting available and the return of short styles you hadn't considered in years (like Bermudas!), the time is ripe for some experimentation. — Halie Lesavage, Glamour, "28 Summer Outfit Ideas Involving Shorts to Try ASAP," 21 June 2018 Look for flowers to emerge in midspring, and for huge amounts of ripe berries to show up in the early fall. — Colin Mccrate, The Seattle Times, "Our native evergreen huckleberry brings dynamic color and oodles of fruit to your edible shade garden," 20 Feb. 2019 Scientists think this near constant exposure of the northern pole creates atmospheric conditions ripe for enormous polar storms like the one Hubble captured in November 2018. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Hubble Observes Ice Giant Vortexes and Polar Storms on Neptune and Uranus," 9 Feb. 2019 The time may be ripe for a reexamination of the balance between the responsibility of employers and the public. — Mark Schmitt, Vox, "Why did Bernie Sanders’s Stop BEZOS legislation draw so much resistance?," 18 Sep. 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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Last Updated

17 May 2019

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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