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
Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
At Big Ma’s, the ribs are cut into manageable pieces, with just enough fat to leave the meat unctuous but easy to eat.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Erik Adams, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
Even Maye has gotten in on the fun, according to Pats quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, who says he’s been ribbing Josh in meetings.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rib
Noun
According to the arrest report, the responding officer noted that the bone structure of all three dogs was clearly visible, including their ribs, spine, and midsection.
—Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
At Big Ma’s, the ribs are cut into manageable pieces, with just enough fat to leave the meat unctuous but easy to eat.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
Stranger Things’ transformation—from a charming homage to ’80s blockbusters to a sprawling transmedia franchise—was ribbed later in last night’s episode, in a commercial parody imagining a string of continuations.
—Erik Adams, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
Even Maye has gotten in on the fun, according to Pats quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, who says he’s been ribbing Josh in meetings.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rib
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rib
Noun
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Humphrey, determined to recreate the video as accurately as possible, worked with Southwest to film her parody on a real plane with the same flight attendant from the first video.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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The governor’s willingness to mock the president through aggressive social-media parody elevated him to de facto resistance leader.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Talk about the weather, add some jokes in there about some of the guys on the team and just stuff like that.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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The event, held at the Montana Hotel in Pétion-Ville, was the butt of jokes on social media amid questions over the group’s authority to act.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s Manny, Zitzs and EZ, who has a way with the girls; Izzy, an abused boy who hides his family’s secrets, and Gloria, as good at sports as the boys and so fierce nobody teases her little sister about her stutter.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
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Humphrey's work consists of reviewing thousands of messages and tags, seeking permission from original video creators and balancing humor with teasing.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Dunkin’ superfan was back for his fourth consecutive year in the Boston chain’s Super Bowl commercial, this time for a spoof on his and Damon’s 1997 film Good Will Hunting.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
9 Feb. 2026
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Guthrie went back to her alma mater The University of Arizona, greeting its president Suresh Garimella in one spoof and meeting sorority sisters at her own Pi Beta Phi in another skit.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fifteen years later, Black is having the last laugh.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Feb. 2026
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Seekers of Infinite Love balances big laughs with big feelings, and the cast delivers in a way that makes the film both distinctive and relatable.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Don't kid yourself into thinking that claiming many new tax breaks will be simple.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
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Even Shelton, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist who won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at an Alcaraz-and-Sinner-less Canadian Open last summer, didn’t kid himself about being far off the pace that the world’s two best players have set.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Your satire of suburban malaise doesn’t also have to be a hangout comedy with a murderer on the loose.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2026
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Roma came close to the top win, in fact — arguably laying the groundwork for the Parasite phenomenon that came the next year, when Bong Joon Ho’s Korean satire, steered by Neon, defied the odds as the first non-English-language film to ever win best picture.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Written in a joking and contemptuous tone, the tweet would take on an indescribably morbid weight just five days later, when, at the behest of Governor Cláudio Castro, the Rio de Janeiro police carried out the deadliest massacre in the country’s history.—
Evandro Cruz Silva,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
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Cole follows up with a joking request to appear on an interlude on the forthcoming project, then asks whether West could send him a care package of clothes — which West agrees to — before exiting the stage.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
28 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rib. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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