To save this word, you'll need to log in.
\ 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
6 : ruddy, plump, or full like ripened fruit
a ripe figure
7 : indecent ripe language
Keep scrolling for more
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 However, some experts caution that future versions of the technology are ripe for abuse.
—
Sophia Chen, Wired, "How to See the World's Reflection From a Bag of Chips," 26 Mar. 2020 Jail environments are ripe for transmission, Christopher Warren, an epidemiologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, told me.
—
Otis R. Taylor Jr., SFChronicle.com, "Coronavirus outbreak behind bars: Advocates fear inmates will hide symptoms," 23 Mar. 2020 Speakers said the time is ripe for talks like these, given the nation’s current political and cultural turmoil.
—
Dallas News, "2 events take on challenge of peace between people of different races, cultures, faiths," 4 Mar. 2020 In my Oakland neighborhood, lemon trees are heavy with aromatic fruit that’s ripe for the picking.
—
Sunset Magazine, "Our Favorite Easy Recipes to Savor the Last of Citrus Season," 26 Feb. 2020 Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union worry that facial-recognition systems are ripe for misuse, such as public surveillance in a bid to identify people not suspected of wrongdoing.
—
Randy Ludlow, Cincinnati.com, "Millions of updated driver’s license photos to fill Ohio’s facial-recognition system," 21 Feb. 2020 But the lack of oversight and clear rules around influencer marketing, not to mention their effectiveness in reaching younger audiences, makes them ripe for misuse.
—
CBS News, "Facebook changes ad policy after Bloomberg hired influencers," 14 Feb. 2020 But the lack of oversight and clear rules around influencer marketing, not to mention their effectiveness in reaching younger audiences, makes them ripe for misuse.
—
Amanda Seitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Facebook reverses on paid influencers after Bloomberg memes," 14 Feb. 2020 There's also the possibility that Cox didn't mean to like this at all, since Twitter — on mobile, especially — is ripe for slips of the thumb.
—
Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, "It Looks Like Even Courteney Cox Still Ships Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt," 22 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for ripe
ripe
adjectiveEnglish 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
adjectiveLegal 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
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on ripe
What made you want to look up ripe? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Thing: Flower Edition
- Name that flower
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Share ripe
Time Traveler for ripe
The first known use of ripe was before the 12th century
See more words from the same century