as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
the lightly ribbing tone tipped me off that this wasn't a serious reprimand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in mocking
Related Words
as in teasing
to make fun of in a good-natured way
ribbed him a bit about fumbling such an easy play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of ribbing
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
This strapless bra delivers a surprising amount of support and structure, with a longline silhouette, hook-and-eye closure, and subtle ribbing that give it a slightly corset-like feel.
—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
26 Nov. 2025
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
In Entertainment Weekly's exclusive first look at Daniels' first appearance in the Apple TV comedy, Jimmy and Randy sit at the dinner table, where Jimmy is served a healthy helping of parental ribbing.
—
Ashley Boucher,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
This snuggly knit is thick and cozy, complete with a rollneck design and beautiful ribbing around the sleeves, hem, and neck.
—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ribbing
Adjective
Their trademark humor — that mix of cheeky absurdism and brotherly ribbing — is fully intact, recalling their ‘60s press conferences that won the hearts of a suspicious media.
—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
This strapless bra delivers a surprising amount of support and structure, with a longline silhouette, hook-and-eye closure, and subtle ribbing that give it a slightly corset-like feel.
—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
Team Italy captain Vinnie Pasquantino is likely to get some good-natured ribbing from a few of his Royals teammates on Monday night.
—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
In Entertainment Weekly's exclusive first look at Daniels' first appearance in the Apple TV comedy, Jimmy and Randy sit at the dinner table, where Jimmy is served a healthy helping of parental ribbing.
—
Ashley Boucher,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 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
This snuggly knit is thick and cozy, complete with a rollneck design and beautiful ribbing around the sleeves, hem, and neck.
—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ribbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribbing
Adjective
-
Conversely, Charles Johnson expressed irate objections, and Renato Moicano offered sarcastic remarks.
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There’s the yellow, blue-nosed beaver Norb (Nick Bakay) — witty, sophisticated, sarcastic, and opinionated.
Noun
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Arteta and his Arsenal squad have, of course, downplayed the noise around the club this season, arguing that the widespread mocking doesn’t impact the inner sanctum of the team.
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Afroman celebrated his legal victory in a video on Wednesday after winning a defamation lawsuit filed by several Ohio sheriff's deputies who accused the rapper of mocking and allegedly lying about them in music videos, following a 2022 raid on his home.
Verb
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The pop singer has been teasing her return to music over the past few weeks with cryptic posts on social media featuring various images accompanied locations, dates and times.
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Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, took over as chief executive of Relativity a little more than a year ago, teasing new areas of focus such as orbital data centers, philanthropic space science ventures, and national security missions.
Noun
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Fans of both have had to endure constant razzing for underperforming on the big stage.
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Moss-Bachrach runs through a lot of emotions countering Bernthal here, cycling Richie through jokey acceptance of Mikey’s razzing, some light teasing of his own, and glimpses of uncertainty.
Verb
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Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.
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Room was kidding, but someone inside Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night had the power to make that happen.
Noun
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No fooling, April brings some pretty interesting surprises on Netflix.
Verb
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Thursday evening, joking about his suspension last year for his comments about reactions to conservator commentator Charlie Kirk’s death.
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Sudano said his son was a good kid who was outgoing, always joking and good-hearted.
Noun
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The sweetness of summer corn combined with the smoky, salty richness of bacon makes this easy pasta extra dreamy.
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Worcestershire flavors the meat with savory richness and a little tang.
Cite this Entry
“Ribbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribbing. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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