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

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 But such skeptics may be ripe for conversion – now that the keen artistic awareness that insiders have long recognized in Lang Lang may well emerge with more regularity, if only because his younger self is still on the sidelines. — David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, "Lang Lang's recovery: Will he ever play in Philly again?," 12 July 2018 Failing that, with a split decision and a vigorous dissent, the case may be ripe for being reviewed by the state Supreme Court, said Valerie McGinty. — Greg Moran, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Appeals court ruling could affect DA-driven consumer lawsuits," 6 July 2018 All of that can accelerate the feelings of isolation and self-doubt that are already so ripe during those years. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "Michelle Obama on Facing Criticism, Life After the White House, and Advice for Meghan Markle," 3 Dec. 2018 With so much money at stake, the eel business was ripe for robberies, and dealers started carrying side arms for protection. — National Geographic, "19 Eel Smugglers Sentenced, But Lucrative Trade Persists," 27 June 2018 The dry conditions were ripe for a blaze—the National Weather Service (NWS) had issued a red flag warning for dry, unstable conditions that day. — Jonathan Olivier, Outside Online, "How to Escape a Wildfire When You're Hiking," 26 June 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

8 Mar 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