rib

¹ American  

[rib] / rɪb /

noun

• ribs
  plural

1. one of a series of curved bones that are articulated with the vertebrae and occur in pairs, 12 in humans, on each side of the vertebrate body, certain pairs being connected with the sternum and forming the thoracic wall.

2. a cut of meat, as beef, containing a rib.

3. ribs, spareribs.

4. Architecture.

   1. any of several archlike members of a vault supporting it at the groins, defining its distinct surfaces, or dividing these surfaces into panels: including ogives and tiercerons.

   2. any of several molded members or moldings, including ridge ribs and liernes, and on the surface of a vault accenting the ridges or dividing the surface into panels.

5. something resembling a rib in form, position, or use, as a supporting or strengthening part.

6. a structural member that supports the shape of something.

   an umbrella rib.

7. Nautical. any of the curved framing members in a ship's hull that rise upward and outward from the keel; frame.

8. a stiffening beam cast as part of a concrete slab.

9. a primary vein of a leaf.

10. a vertical ridge in cloth, especially in knitted fabrics.

11. a ridge, as in poplin or rep, caused by heavy yarn.

12. a wife (in humorous allusion to the creation of Eve. Genesis 2:21–22).

13. Ceramics. a scraper for smoothing clay being thrown on a potter's wheel.

14. a metal ridge running along the top of the barrel of a firearm to simplify aligning the sights.

15. a longitudinal strip of metal joining the barrels of a double-barreled gun.

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verb (used with object)

ribbed, ribbing

1. to furnish or strengthen with ribs.

2. to enclose as with ribs.

3. to mark with riblike ridges or markings.

rib ² American  

[rib] / rɪb /

verb (used with object)

ribbed, ribbing

1. to tease; make fun of.

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rib ¹ British  

/ rɪb /

noun

1. Technical name: costa. any of the 24 curved elastic arches of bone that together form the chest wall in man. All are attached behind to the thoracic part of the spinal column Compare true rib false ribs floating rib

2. the corresponding bone in other vertebrates

3. a cut of meat including one or more ribs

4. a part or element similar in function or appearance to a rib, esp a structural or supporting member or a raised strip or ridge

5. a structural member in a wing that extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge and maintains the shape of the wing surface

6. a projecting moulding or band on the underside of a vault or ceiling, which may be structural or ornamental

7. one of a series of raised rows in knitted fabric See also ribbing

8. a raised ornamental line on the spine of a book where the stitching runs across it

9. any of the transverse stiffening timbers or joists forming the frame of a ship's hull

10. any of the larger veins of a leaf

11. a metal strip running along the top of the barrel of a shotgun or handgun and guiding the alignment of the sights

12. a vein of ore in rock

13. a projecting ridge of a mountain; spur

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verb

1. to furnish or support with a rib or ribs

2. to mark with or form into ribs or ridges

3. to knit plain and purl stitches alternately in order to make raised rows in (knitting)

4. archaic to enclose with or as if with ribs

rib ² British  

/ rɪb /

verb

1. (tr) to tease or ridicule

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noun

1. a joke or hoax

rib Scientific  

/ rĭb /

1. Any of a series of long, curved bones extending from the spine and enclosing the chest cavity. In mammals, reptiles, and birds, the ribs curve toward the center of the chest and in most cases attach to the sternum (breastbone). There are 12 pairs of ribs in humans.

2. See more at skeleton

3. One of the main veins of a leaf.

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rib Idioms  

1. see stick to the ribs.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ribber
  noun
• ribless
  adjective
• riblike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ribs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of rib¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English rib(b); cognate with Old Frisian rib, reb, Old Icelandic rif, German Rippe; akin to Russian rebró “rib,” Greek orophḗ “roof, ceiling”

Origin of rib²

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; probably from rib ¹ ( def. ) (because tickling the ribs provokes laughter)

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Explanation

A rib is a curved bone in a person's chest. Your ribs protect your internal organs. A rib is also the curved bone in a pig’s chest, and some people eat that with barbeque sauce. Ribs are strong and flexible, and they form a kind of protective cage around our soft inside parts. Animals have ribs, too — fish even have two sets of ribs. If you're a meat eater, you probably know that pigs and cows have ribs that are a popular menu item at barbecue restaurants. Things that resemble anatomical ribs, like raised rows in a knitted garment — are also called ribs. And to rib someone is to tease them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rib ribs ribbed ribbing

Early dolls were crafted from bone and ivory, not unlike Eve from Adam’s rib.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

Your main courses are an endless supply of vegetables, tofus, noodles and proteins like short rib, bulgogi and pork belly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

McConkey, who has been playing with a cracked rib he sustained in Week 1, was limited in practice Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The work traces back to 2020, when Mitchell, who was then a U of R undergraduate, detected evidence of blood vessels inside Scotty's rib.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

It was so empty and quiet that he could hear his anxious heart thump against his rib cage.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Alongside the shoulder blade, archaeologists recovered a nearly complete right hand, two ribs from the left side, a fragment of a right rib, and seven teeth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

Donning extra padding to protect his ribs, Watson re-entered the game with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter and was targeted on the first play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Their ribs had evidence of a partly healed wound, which archaeologists believe was probably caused by a stone-tipped spear.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

“She developed pleural effusion — fluid between the lungs and ribs — compressing her lungs and making it hard for her to breathe.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

He reached the shipwreck, swimming right through the gap, as the ship did not lack for seawater within, which sloshed back and forth against the thick wooden ribs of its dark belly.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

“Want me to carry your purse for you?” he ribbed.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Ediacaran organisms came in many unfamiliar forms, including flat discs, leafy shapes, and ribbed ovals.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

“In the Bozeman area, are you going to get ribbed and teased for being from L.A.? Yes. But do I think people really care after you get that ribbing? No,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

Don Cheadle later ribbed Clooney on stage when the duo presented an award, saying Chalamet “was 3 the last time you won.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026

My dad was flying—long grooves of slush that ribbed the pavement sprayed up onto the car—and the whole time I was shaking in the backseat like there was an earthquake under my skin.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

On Wednesday, the usual bad-tempered jibes and angry exchanges witnessed in the political theatre of the weekly Prime Minister's Questions, were replaced by gentle ribbing.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

“In the Bozeman area, are you going to get ribbed and teased for being from L.A.? Yes. But do I think people really care after you get that ribbing? No,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

When Paul pressed him again about his lack of apology, lack of contrition, and inability to even say he “misspoke,” while ribbing him about his “low impulse control” and presentation of “machismo,” Mullin didn’t waver.

From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026

As a series living in “the kind lane,” the characters are accepted for who they are — even if there’s gentle ribbing at times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2025

In his time, my lord could line them up, all twelve, at intervals like a ship’s ribbing; then he’d back away a long way off and whip an arrow through.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

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