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
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2025
The adults in the pack bring meat back to the den, either in pieces (a leg, a rib) or as offerings carried home in the belly that can be regurgitated.
—Helen Whybrow
july 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025
Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025
The two-way stretch fabric is water-repellent and slightly ribbed, with a lightweight feel that’s perfect for summer (or sweating in a dance studio, presumably).
—Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rib
Noun
In 1993, for example, crews building Denver’s professional baseball stadium discovered a four-inch rib and some bone fragments, which gave rise to the Colorado Rockies’ mascot, Dinger the dinosaur.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2025
The adults in the pack bring meat back to the den, either in pieces (a leg, a rib) or as offerings carried home in the belly that can be regurgitated.
—Helen Whybrow
july 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025
Verb
All ribbing aside, the brother and sister get along famously.
—Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025
The two-way stretch fabric is water-repellent and slightly ribbed, with a lightweight feel that’s perfect for summer (or sweating in a dance studio, presumably).
—Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rib
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rib
Noun
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Fittingly, Yankovic and Miranda pulled together a parody of the viral Coldplay Cheating Camera with some help from Colbert’s late-night peers.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
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Colbert soon developed a character for himself, a parody of conservative political pundits loosely based on Bill O'Reilly, then on Fox News.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
Noun
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Chinese officials in the eastern province of Zhejiang have put stand-up comics on notice to avoid jokes that could fuel resentment between the sexes.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
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According to the site, there were allegedly posts that included fat-shaming and rape jokes, among other topics via the Q&A platform Curious Cat.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
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The ending might seem pleasingly final, but watch for a predictable and quite unnecessary post-credits sting that sets up the Fantastic Four’s return with a cliffhanger and teases the return of a very familiar character.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
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Interestingly, Google is also teasing new offers for the Pixel 10.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Noun
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Following the success of 1980 spoof film Airplane!, which made $78 million at the box office ($214 million today) co-directors David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker hoped to make a similar comedy about police officers inspired by the 1950s Lee Marvin drama series M Squad.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 July 2025
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The actress hosted a cookout with Bounty on June 25 in Los Angeles, and there, and shared her barbecue essentials and favorite scene from the spoof with PEOPLE. Hall, 54, has positive memories of working with Keenan Ivory Wayans for the first time on the set of the 2000 classic.—
Angelina Liu,
People.com,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Watch the scene where the three men stop at a bar in D.C. Meadows laughs for the first time — a shy, honest laugh.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
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Nixon’s spirit drew appreciative laughs from the crowd throughout the competition.—
Calista Oetama,
Sacbee.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
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For the most part, though, these tools have been aimed at parents or educators, not kids themselves.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
14 July 2025
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Apparently Brooks Nader wasn’t kidding about that, because on July 8 she was spotted freeing the nipple in a sheer black top on a dinner date with friend Lauren Sanchez in Paris, per photos published by the Daily Mail.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
9 July 2025
Noun
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The character and his stories were a satire on a judicial system taken to the extreme.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
17 July 2025
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Often a satire of American and British culture, the character has bionic eyes and is empowered to serve as judge, jury and executioner in the fascist society.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
17 July 2025
Noun
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There were also yaks, deer, buffalo, camels, a kangaroo, ostriches, eight monkeys, six raccoons, two grizzly bears, black bears, brown bears, seals, lions, an old tiger, a blind hyena, a circus elephant, an alligator and 400 birds, including a talking crow.—
Jeff Suess,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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More than 500 of them, in fact, from native whitetail deer to yaks, scimitar oryx, and water buffalo.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rib. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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