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• blue ribbon
  blue ribbon

  noun

  the highest award or distinction, as the first prize in a contest.
• blue-ribbon
  blue-ribbon

  adjective

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

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

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

They point to the work of the blue ribbon commission and a string of highly critical audits as reasons for taking decisive action.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2025

"I went to the L.A. County Fair, and I won that blue ribbon," she remembers.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2024

If you think of the blue ribbon — I mean, there’s nothing … higher than a blue ribbon.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024

One girl had been in such a hurry, the blue ribbon she was meant to wear in her hair was still rolled up in her pocket.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer