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
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as in mocking
Synonyms & Similar 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
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Recent Examples of ribbing
Jessica Wang, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025
All four players had fond memories of the tournament, with Dostál offering a bit of good-natured ribbing toward Pastrnak and recalling not only his triumph of 2024 but his first experience in 2022, when his tournament was truncated by an injury.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Mar. 2025
Trump’s playful and public ribbing of one of the world’s most prominent media moguls underscored the years-long on-again, off-again relationship between the president and publishing tycoon, one that political and media observers told The Hill this week has reached a critical new stage.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 9 Feb. 2025
At a 10th anniversary screening at the 2011 New York Film Festival, Anderson and ensemble members Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray and Gwyneth Paltrow indulged in some good-natured ribbing of Hackman’s irascibility on the shoot.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ribbing
Noun
The camera then cut to Gascón, who took the ribbing in stride.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025
All four players had fond memories of the tournament, with Dostál offering a bit of good-natured ribbing toward Pastrnak and recalling not only his triumph of 2024 but his first experience in 2022, when his tournament was truncated by an injury.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Mar. 2025
Trump’s playful and public ribbing of one of the world’s most prominent media moguls underscored the years-long on-again, off-again relationship between the president and publishing tycoon, one that political and media observers told The Hill this week has reached a critical new stage.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 9 Feb. 2025
At a 10th anniversary screening at the 2011 New York Film Festival, Anderson and ensemble members Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray and Gwyneth Paltrow indulged in some good-natured ribbing of Hackman’s irascibility on the shoot.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ribbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribbing
Verb
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Seinfeld was clearly teasing, but sure enough, several headlines reported it as gospel with perhaps a mention three paragraphs in that it was intended to be humorous.—
Jenelle Riley,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2025
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From teasing his retirement to becoming a minister and everything in between, here’s a look at the Hollywood star’s year of surprises.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
Fox News,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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For myself and many of my classmates, the four-story Forever 21 in Times Square was the most exciting part of our senior-class trip to New York City—not joking!—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
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And, everyone was joking about it behind his back.—
Todd Nordstrom,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Green’s teammate, Moses Moody, gave a sarcastic response to Brooks’ assertion.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
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It was followed by a sarcastic post targeting Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The crowd’s reaction in the recording further supports that Em’s bars relied on technical skill and wordplay—not racial provocation.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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The puzzles are rarely straightforward and use homophones and wordplay—among other techniques—to keep players challenged.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But that’s exactly how modern protest sounds in Turkey, where humor and art are some of the only ways to cope with the socio-political environment.—
Eda Uysen,
Rolling Stone,
3 May 2025
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Don't be afraid to use drama, humor and the element of surprise to tell the stories that matter most to readers.—
Caren Bohan,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Noun
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The fallout between the two legends stems from a broader web of disagreements: 50 Cent feels betrayed by Big Meech’s association with Rick Ross, who has traded public barbs and diss tracks with 50 for years.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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On that beautiful day in April 2024, a crew member read the lines as Jack and Geneviève whispered barbs by the phone.—
Breanne L. Heldman,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ribbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribbing. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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