ribboning

verb

present participle of ribbon
as in tearing
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it over the years the historic flag had become badly ribboned by the wind

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribboning
  1. tearing
  2. ripping
Verb
  • Let’s commit to pausing tearing each other down before ripping up and rewriting our stories and objects.
    — Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2026
  • Both the military and the general public read it voraciously, desperate to understand the war tearing their young utopia apart.
    — Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
Definition of tearing
Verb
  • Videos ​released by state media in the afternoon showed flames ripping through the building and thick black smoke billowing into ​the sky.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 9 July 2026
  • Shortly after Thursday’s meeting, Johnson released a statement ripping the committee for not letting voters have their say on the millionaire tax.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of ripping
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

ribboned
ribboning
ribbons
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Cite this Entry

“Ribboning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribboning. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ribboning

Nglish: Translation of ribboning for Spanish Speakers

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