1
as in parody
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect
the movie is a rib of the "dramatic love story" that was so popular in the 1950s
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2
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
began to lose his sense of humor after being the butt of his friends' ribs once too often
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rib
Gregg Evans, New York Times, 17 May 2025
The accident put her in the hospital for three months with fractured ribs and a broken leg.
—Victor Luckerson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025
Ari Stark, Footwear News, 9 May 2025
Cos ribbed underwired halterneck swimsuit, $99 The Flirty Floral: Peony Sonnet one-piece swimsuit, $250
The Classic Summer White: Eres Les Essentiels Aquarelle swimsuit, $425
There’s something for everyone included in the mix.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rib
Noun
The experiment began in that Leverkusen game six months ago and was partially forced upon Slot due to Jota’s rib injury and the need to rotate his four available forwards with Federico Chiesa also out.
—Gregg Evans, New York Times, 17 May 2025
The accident put her in the hospital for three months with fractured ribs and a broken leg.
—Victor Luckerson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025
Verb
Her look, a ladylike pink ribbed off-the-shoulder cardigan and ruched dress in baby blue jersey, will be produced under Macy’s private label Bar III before being sold at the Macy’s Herald Square flagship and other select locations come spring 2026.
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 9 May 2025
Cos ribbed underwired halterneck swimsuit, $99 The Flirty Floral: Peony Sonnet one-piece swimsuit, $250
The Classic Summer White: Eres Les Essentiels Aquarelle swimsuit, $425
There’s something for everyone included in the mix.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rib
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rib
Noun
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However, the thought occurs to me, having stopped off last summer in Cannes on the glittering coast of the South of France, that increasingly all these places are rapidly becoming a parody of themselves and their own brands.—
James Fallon,
Footwear News,
24 May 2025
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After initial opposition, studios threw their support behind the bill when language was updated to carve out exclusions for projects such as documentaries and biographical works, or for purposes of comment, criticism, or parody, among others.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
21 May 2025
Noun
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The site’s users took great joy in watching the feud in real time, responding to the showdown between the president and the world’s wealthiest man with jokes and memes.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Surrounded by her animals at home, Lin watched re-runs of The Big Bang Theory, practicing the cadence of the words, the rising sound of a joke, the pacing of each phrase.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
Verb
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As teased in the final moments of season 2, the next chapter of The Last of Us will be centered primarily on Abby.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
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Richard first teased their move to his wife’s native Spain in an April 2024 interview with Vanity Fair Spain, despite having lived in the United States since they got married in 2018.—
Natalia Senanayake,
People.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Their spoof of Donald Trump and Joe Biden bickering about who was the better golfer was conceived and recorded while the CNN presidential debate was still ongoing, and released immediately afterward.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
27 May 2025
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Appealing to the kids Somehow, the Chargers and Colts ended up with the same approach of a Minecraft theme, and both making a spoof of the Rapoport-Schultz scuffle.—
Schuyler Dixon,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
Noun
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There are a lot of fun moments during the annual Big Slick weekend in Kansas City, and the laughs are shared by the celebrities who take part as well as the audience at the softball game and the gala.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
5 June 2025
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If a client senses that every friendly laugh and personal anecdote was just bait on the hook, the entire relationship collapses into a transaction.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
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The recipes are all kid friendly and include instruction sidebars that guide them throughout the process with helpful step-by-step photos.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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But just kidding, actually $14 'cuz the orange tags were 50 percent off.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Cutting satire ensues when the girl’s street-smart sister, who believes her sibling is being devoured whole by the 1 percent, intervenes to save her.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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In 1957, Horne starred in Jamaica, a hit Broadway satire that let a glamorous Black woman lead a musical—something rare then and now.—
Sonari Glinton,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Noun
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Zookeepers welcomed a new yak and now the baby and mama are bonding, Alaska officials said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
25 Mar. 2025
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The rule’s intention was to not only preserve nature and reduce helicopter traffic in the region, but to bolster the fading cultural practice and industry of yak herding.—
Jake Stern,
Outside Online,
13 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rib. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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