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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
Archiebald Steak Home is a refined American steakhouse serving prime cuts of porterhouse and rib-eye alongside standout starters like king crab dumplings and steak tartare.
—Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026
Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026
Not exactly a denial by Lux, who appeared to not take the ribbing too seriously.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rib
Noun
By March, crews found the mandible of an adult man, followed within days by the ribs of a young adult.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
Archiebald Steak Home is a refined American steakhouse serving prime cuts of porterhouse and rib-eye alongside standout starters like king crab dumplings and steak tartare.
—Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
In real life, Miller takes the ribbing well, happy to be his friend’s fall guy for the purposes of narrative structure.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026
Not exactly a denial by Lux, who appeared to not take the ribbing too seriously.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rib
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rib
Noun
-
The parody defense serves the project well.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
If approved by a Texas judge, the deal would take away his Infowars microphone, and allow The Onion to resume its plans to turn the website into a parody of itself.—
Tovia Smith,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These headwinds, together with Spirit’s ongoing reputational challenges like being the target of jokes by late-night hosts and prominent press coverage of its two brushes with bankruptcy, likely account for Spirit’s satisfaction decline.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
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As anachronisms constantly threaten to puncture the illusion, the cast stays wry, nimble and self-conscious in order to locate plot points and jokes that reinforce the golden-age radio setting, scribbling notes and introducing characters that propel them through ludicrous narrative arcs.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Castmembers Kevin Sussman, Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn and John Ross Bowie took the stage at CCXP Mexico City to tease their project that combines comedy with sci-fi and is set to begin streaming on HBO Max in July.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Apr. 2026
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Creator Bruce Miller was more than happy to tease what’s to come this week in episode 6, while on stage at the Deadline Contenders TV panel.—
Amanda Champagne-Meadows,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Nearly 40 years after Spaceballs first hit theaters in 1987, Mel Brooks' Star Wars spoof is gearing up for another ride.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
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In the timely space spoof, the four Artemis 2 astronauts, portrayed by Colman Domingo, Mikey Day, Marcello Hernández, and Sarah Sherman offer an update on their moon mission at Day 9.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Their laughs and chatter fill the countryside and one another’s hearts, the merriment binding them all together like caterpillars in one big cocoon.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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Over Your Dead Body knows that sustaining a harmonious union amid petty jealousies, paranoia, and personal flaws is hard; navigating a hostage situation involving desperate sickos and sociopaths is even harder; and maintaining a balance of laughs and gag-reflex tweaking is the hardest of it all.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Young Michael may have seemed strange, or just plain different, to kids his own age, but what about the adult Michael, whose professional life took him outside the family orbit and into offices, studios, and night clubs?—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
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Just kidding, but that would’ve been awesome.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In 1983, Mark Russell, whose satire was a PBS staple, offered relatively tame jabs at Reagan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
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The project brings together satire and documentary to move across memory, ideology and political contradiction.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rib. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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