blue ribbon

¹ American  

[bloo rib-uhn] / ˈblu ˈrɪb ən /

noun

1. the highest award or distinction, as the first prize in a contest.

   His entry at the state fair won a blue ribbon.

2. a blue ribbon worn as a badge of honor, especially by members of the Order of the Garter of the British knighthood.

3. (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.

4. a badge used by some temperance organizations to indicate a pledge of abstinence from alcohol.

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blue-ribbon ² American  

[bloo-rib-uhn] / ˈbluˈrɪb ən /

adjective

1. of superior quality or prominence; first-rate; specially selected.

   a blue-ribbon committee of fund-raisers.

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blue ribbon British  

noun

1. (in Britain) a badge of blue silk worn by members of the Order of the Garter

2. a badge awarded as the first prize in a competition

3. a badge worn by a member of a temperance society

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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

Strung from limb to limb, all through the top of the tree, were the pink and blue ribbons I had gotten for Daisy.

From Literature

He reached into it and took out a bright blue ribbon with a badge attached to it.

From Literature

Junior sounded as if he’d just won the blue ribbon at the county fair.

From Literature

The auxiliary’s Facebook page also encouraged residents to hang blue ribbons outside homes, mailboxes, fences and porches—“for our hometown soldier.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Supervisors said they were following the recommendations of a blue ribbon commission, which called in 2022 for the creation of a new county homelessness organization and the streamlining of LAHSA’s responsibilities.

From Los Angeles Times