ripe

American  

[rahyp] / raɪp /

adjective

riper, ripest

1. having arrived at such a stage of growth or development as to be ready for reaping, gathering, eating, or use, as grain or fruit; completely matured.

   Synonyms:

   aged , grown

2. resembling such fruit, as in ruddiness and fullness.

   ripe, red lips.

3. advanced to the point of being in the best condition for use, as cheese or beer.

4. fully grown or developed, as animals when ready to be killed and used for food.

5. arrived at the highest or a high point of development or excellence; mature.

6. of mature judgment or knowledge.

   ripe scholars; a ripe mind.

7. characterized by full development of body or mind.

   of ripe years.

8. (of time) advanced.

   a ripe old age.

9. (of ideas, plans, etc.) ready for action, execution, etc.

10. (of people) fully prepared or ready to do or undergo something.

    He was ripe for a change in jobs.

11. fully or sufficiently advanced; ready enough; auspicious.

    The time is ripe for a new foreign policy.

12. ready for some operation or process.

    a ripe abscess.

13. Archaic.  drunk.

    reeling ripe.

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ripe British  

/ raɪp /

adjective

1. (of fruit, grain, etc) mature and ready to be eaten or used; fully developed

2. mature enough to be eaten or used

   ripe cheese

3. fully developed in mind or body

4. resembling ripe fruit, esp in redness or fullness

   a ripe complexion

5. ready or eager (to undertake or undergo an action)

6. suitable; right or opportune

   the time is not yet ripe

7. mature in judgment or knowledge

8. advanced but healthy (esp in the phrase a ripe old age )

9. slang

   1. complete; thorough

   2. excessive; exorbitant

10. slang  slightly indecent; risqué

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ripe Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing ripe

• time is ripe

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Related Words

Ripe, mature, mellow refer to that which is no longer in an incomplete stage of development. Ripe implies completed growth beyond which the processes of decay begin: a ripe banana. Mature means fully grown and developed as used of living organisms: a mature animal; a mature tree. Mellow denotes complete absence of sharpness or asperity, with sweetness and richness such as characterize ripeness or age: mellow fruit; mellow flavor.

Other Word Forms

• half-ripe adjective
• ripely adverb
• ripeness noun

Etymology

Origin of ripe

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English rīpe; cognate with Dutch rijp, German reif; akin to Old English ripan “to harvest, reap”; reap

Example Sentences

It is still unknown whether chimpanzees deliberately choose fruits with higher ethanol levels, which tend to be riper and richer in sugar that can ferment.

From Science Daily

Persistent inflation suggests that conditions are becoming ripe for the central bank to make a move, but some economists say Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s preference for expansive economic policies complicates the path to monetary tightening.

From The Wall Street Journal

The melons had already been freed from the vine by the cutters, farmworkers well-versed in when the fruit is ripe.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether folding clothes at a mall retailer or working the register at a supermarket, customer-service jobs have also been ripe fodder for movies about mindless work.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a statement, Nexstar said it still believed that “the landscape is ripe for regulatory reform and that we are on the path to completing our transaction.”

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• mature
• overdue
• plump
• prepared
• ready