ridge

[rij]

noun

1. a long, narrow elevation of land; a chain of hills or mountains.

2. the long and narrow upper edge, angle, or crest of something, as a hill, wave, or vault.

3. the back of an animal.

4. any raised, narrow strip, as on cloth.

5. the horizontal line in which the tops of the rafters of a roof meet.

6. (on a weather chart) a narrow, elongated area of high pressure.

verb (used with object)

ridged, ridging 

1. to provide with or form into a ridge or ridges.

2. to mark with or as if with ridges.

verb (used without object)

ridged, ridging 

1. to form ridges.

ridge

/ rɪdʒ /

noun

1. a long narrow raised land formation with sloping sides esp one formed by the meeting of two faces of a mountain or of a mountain buttress or spur

2. any long narrow raised strip or elevation, as on a fabric or in ploughed land

3. anatomy any elongated raised margin or border on a bone, tooth, tissue membrane, etc

4. 1. the top of a roof at the junction of two sloping sides

   2. ( as modifier )

      a ridge tile

5. the back or backbone of an animal, esp a whale

6. meteorol an elongated area of high pressure, esp an extension of an anticyclone Compare trough

verb

1. to form into a ridge or ridges

ridge

1. A long narrow chain of hills or mountains.

2. See mid-ocean ridge

3. A narrow, elongated zone of relatively high atmospheric pressure associated with an area of peak anticyclonic circulation.

4. Compare trough

Other Word Forms

• ridgelike adjective
• unridged adjective
• ridgy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ridge¹

before 900; Middle English rigge (noun), Old English hrycg spine, crest, ridge; cognate with Dutch rug, German Rücken, Old Norse hryggr

Word History and Origins

Origin of ridge¹

Old English hrycg ; related to Old High German hrucki , Old Norse hryggr

Example Sentences

In the south of the Red Sea, near the Hanish Islands, a volcanic ridge separated the sea from the Indian Ocean.

Read more on Science Daily

Rios’ design takes inspiration from the state’s distinct ecological zones — from shaded oak ridges to bright meadows and coastal bluffs.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But when it finally came out of the oven — improbably perfect, golden brown, the Bundt ridges crisped and glistening — I felt a little giddy.

Read more on Salon

One recent afternoon, he stood on a ridge above a sprawling dry lakebed.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The threat is most severe on summits and on long, high ridges, where no trees grow and there’s a good chance a hiker is the tallest thing on the landscape — like a human lightning rod.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hill 
• rim