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rib
1[ rib ]
/ rɪb /
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noun
verb (used with object), ribbed, rib·bing.
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Origin of rib
1First 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”
OTHER WORDS FROM rib
rib·ber, nounrib·less, adjectiverib·like, adjectiveWords nearby rib
Other definitions for rib (2 of 2)
rib2
[ rib ]
/ rɪb /
verb (used with object), ribbed, rib·bing.
to tease; make fun of.
Origin of rib
2An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; probably from rib1 (because tickling the ribs provokes laughter)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use rib in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for rib (1 of 2)
rib1
/ (rɪb) /
noun
verb ribs, ribbing or ribbed (tr)
Derived forms of rib
ribless, adjectiveriblike, adjectiveWord Origin for rib
Old English ribb; related to Old High German rippi, Old Norse rif reef 1
British Dictionary definitions for rib (2 of 2)
rib2
/ (rɪb) informal /
verb ribs, ribbing or ribbed
(tr) to tease or ridicule
noun
a joke or hoax
Word Origin for rib
C20: short for rib-tickle (vb)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for rib
rib
[ rĭb ]
n.
One of a series of long curved bones occurring in 12 pairs in humans and extending from the spine to or toward the sternum.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for rib
rib
[ rĭb ]
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. See more at skeleton.
One of the main veins of a leaf.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with rib
rib
see stick to the ribs.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.