ripe

adjective

ˈrīp 

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.

a system that was ripe for abuse

specifically, of a legal action : ready for judicial resolution because the injury is certain and not hypothetical

5

a

: brought by aging to full flavor or the best state : mellow

ripe cheese

b

: smelly, stinking

Those old sneakers are pretty ripe.

6

: ruddy, plump, or full like ripened fruit

a ripe figure

7

: indecent

ripe language

ripely adverb

ripeness noun

Synonyms of ripe

• matured
• mature

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

China is unlikely to see now as a ripe time to pressure Kim to give up his nuclear program. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 9 June 2026

Not only is Earth's celestial neighbor a pristine time capsule ripe for study – preserved almost unaltered throughout the course of billions of years – but the moon is viewed as a stepping stone for human exploration deeper into space. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 June 2026

As prominent Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe and conservative jurist Michael Luttig argued, the archaic law was dangerously flawed and fundamentally ripe for partisan exploitation. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 9 June 2026

These teensy little fruit designs are ripe for the picking. —Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English rīpe; akin to Old English rīpan, reopan to reap

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ripe

• ripe for abuse
• ripe old age
• ripe with

Rhymes for ripe

• gripe
• hype
• lipe
• pipe
• sipe
• skype
• snipe
• stipe
• stripe
• strype
• swipe
• tripe

Kids Definition

ripe

adjective

ˈrīp 

riper; ripest

1

: fully grown and developed

a ripe tomato

2

: having mature knowledge, understanding, or judgment

3

: ready entry 1 sense 1

ripe for action

4

: brought to just the right state

ripely adverb

ripeness noun

Legal Definition

ripe

adjective

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

ripeness noun