blue ribbon
noun
the highest award or distinction, as the first prize in a contest.
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blue ribbon
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blue-ribbon
blue-ribbonadjectiveof superior quality or prominence; first-rate; specially selected.
blue ribbon
1 American
[bloo rib-uhn]
/ ˈblu ˈrɪb ən /
noun
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the highest award or distinction, as the first prize in a contest.
His entry at the state fair won a blue ribbon.
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a blue ribbon worn as a badge of honor, especially by members of the Order of the Garter of the British knighthood.
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(initial capital letters) Also Blue Ribband. (formerly) a prize awarded to an ocean liner making the fastest recorded trip across the Atlantic Ocean between Ambrose Lightship and Bishop Rock.
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a badge used by some temperance organizations to indicate a pledge of abstinence from alcohol.
blue-ribbon
2
American
[bloo-rib-uhn]
/ ˈbluˈrɪb ən /
adjective
blue ribbon
British
noun
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(in Britain) a badge of blue silk worn by members of the Order of the Garter
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a badge awarded as the first prize in a competition
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a badge worn by a member of a temperance society
Etymology
Origin of blue ribbon1
First recorded in 1645–55
Origin of blue-ribbon2
First recorded in 1925–30; adj. use of blue ribbon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lancashire, who appeared at the hearing via a video link from HMP Peterborough, wore her brown hair in pigtails - one tied with a pink ribbon and one with a blue ribbon.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
"I went to the L.A. County Fair, and I won that blue ribbon," she remembers.
From Salon • Aug. 19, 2024
When Sandra Lee won a blue ribbon at the Los Angeles County Fair, her sister called to tell her the good news.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024
Tenari holds up three shades of blue ribbon and turns to her sister.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 18, 2023
“But I won a blue ribbon at the county fair for this strudel!”
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
