rib

¹ American  

[rib] / rɪb /

noun

• ribs
  plural

1. one of a series of curved bones that are articulated with the vertebrae and occur in pairs, 12 in humans, on each side of the vertebrate body, certain pairs being connected with the sternum and forming the thoracic wall.

2. a cut of meat, as beef, containing a rib.

3. ribs, spareribs.

4. Architecture.

   1. any of several archlike members of a vault supporting it at the groins, defining its distinct surfaces, or dividing these surfaces into panels: including ogives and tiercerons.

   2. any of several molded members or moldings, including ridge ribs and liernes, and on the surface of a vault accenting the ridges or dividing the surface into panels.

5. something resembling a rib in form, position, or use, as a supporting or strengthening part.

6. a structural member that supports the shape of something.

   an umbrella rib.

7. Nautical. any of the curved framing members in a ship's hull that rise upward and outward from the keel; frame.

8. a stiffening beam cast as part of a concrete slab.

9. a primary vein of a leaf.

10. a vertical ridge in cloth, especially in knitted fabrics.

11. a ridge, as in poplin or rep, caused by heavy yarn.

12. a wife (in humorous allusion to the creation of Eve. Genesis 2:21–22).

13. Ceramics. a scraper for smoothing clay being thrown on a potter's wheel.

14. a metal ridge running along the top of the barrel of a firearm to simplify aligning the sights.

15. a longitudinal strip of metal joining the barrels of a double-barreled gun.

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verb (used with object)

ribbed, ribbing

1. to furnish or strengthen with ribs.

2. to enclose as with ribs.

3. to mark with riblike ridges or markings.

rib ² American  

[rib] / rɪb /

verb (used with object)

ribbed, ribbing

1. to tease; make fun of.

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rib ¹ British  

/ rɪb /

noun

1. Technical name: costa. any of the 24 curved elastic arches of bone that together form the chest wall in man. All are attached behind to the thoracic part of the spinal column Compare true rib false ribs floating rib

2. the corresponding bone in other vertebrates

3. a cut of meat including one or more ribs

4. a part or element similar in function or appearance to a rib, esp a structural or supporting member or a raised strip or ridge

5. a structural member in a wing that extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge and maintains the shape of the wing surface

6. a projecting moulding or band on the underside of a vault or ceiling, which may be structural or ornamental

7. one of a series of raised rows in knitted fabric See also ribbing

8. a raised ornamental line on the spine of a book where the stitching runs across it

9. any of the transverse stiffening timbers or joists forming the frame of a ship's hull

10. any of the larger veins of a leaf

11. a metal strip running along the top of the barrel of a shotgun or handgun and guiding the alignment of the sights

12. a vein of ore in rock

13. a projecting ridge of a mountain; spur

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verb

1. to furnish or support with a rib or ribs

2. to mark with or form into ribs or ridges

3. to knit plain and purl stitches alternately in order to make raised rows in (knitting)

4. archaic to enclose with or as if with ribs

rib ² British  

/ rɪb /

verb

1. (tr) to tease or ridicule

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noun

1. a joke or hoax

rib Scientific  

/ rĭb /

1. 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.

2. See more at skeleton

3. One of the main veins of a leaf.

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rib Idioms  

1. see stick to the ribs.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ribber
  noun
• ribless
  adjective
• riblike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ribs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rib¹

First 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”

Origin of rib²

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; probably from rib ¹ ( def. ) (because tickling the ribs provokes laughter)

Explanation

A rib is a curved bone in a person's chest. Your ribs protect your internal organs. A rib is also the curved bone in a pig’s chest, and some people eat that with barbeque sauce. Ribs are strong and flexible, and they form a kind of protective cage around our soft inside parts. Animals have ribs, too — fish even have two sets of ribs. If you're a meat eater, you probably know that pigs and cows have ribs that are a popular menu item at barbecue restaurants. Things that resemble anatomical ribs, like raised rows in a knitted garment — are also called ribs. And to rib someone is to tease them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rib ribs ribbed ribbing

McConkey, who has been playing with a cracked rib he sustained in Week 1, was limited in practice Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The work traces back to 2020, when Mitchell, who was then a U of R undergraduate, detected evidence of blood vessels inside Scotty's rib.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

Tatiana, the Afro-Caribbean restaurant at New York’s Lincoln Center, is one of the toughest reservations in the city, thanks in part to dishes like tender Wagyu short rib and head-on shrimp drenched in Creole butter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

His short rib pastrami suya at New York’s Tatiana has become one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

My rib cage screams as each cough pulls more and more air from my lungs, my eyes starting to water.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

“She developed pleural effusion — fluid between the lungs and ribs — compressing her lungs and making it hard for her to breathe.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The fossil became even more unusual when researchers examined a dark area preserved between its ribs.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

Frankie Dettori, who lives in Suffolk, pulled out of the race following a car crash in July which left him with several broken ribs.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Hochman on Wednesday said that before the chidken sandwich’s launch in April, the chain — known for things like ribs and fajitas — had been selling 20 chicken sandwiches per restaurant per day.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Chicken dug his bony elbow into Cat’s ribs.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

“Want me to carry your purse for you?” he ribbed.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Ediacaran organisms came in many unfamiliar forms, including flat discs, leafy shapes, and ribbed ovals.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

“In the Bozeman area, are you going to get ribbed and teased for being from L.A.? Yes. But do I think people really care after you get that ribbing? No,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

She moves quickly from caves to cathedrals and their architecture, including King’s College Chapel, in Cambridge, with its soaring 16th-century ceiling—the world’s largest fan vault, ribbed in interlocking patterns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

The classic manuals, written by starchy Englishmen and rock- ribbed Yankees, try to take all the fun out of writing, grimly adjuring the writer to avoid offbeat words, figures of speech, and playful alliteration.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

On Wednesday, the usual bad-tempered jibes and angry exchanges witnessed in the political theatre of the weekly Prime Minister's Questions, were replaced by gentle ribbing.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

When the two heads of government met at a summit in Egypt last October, Trump was chummy, playfully ribbing the tall Spanish leader about which of them would prevail on defense spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

“In the Bozeman area, are you going to get ribbed and teased for being from L.A.? Yes. But do I think people really care after you get that ribbing? No,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

When Paul pressed him again about his lack of apology, lack of contrition, and inability to even say he “misspoke,” while ribbing him about his “low impulse control” and presentation of “machismo,” Mullin didn’t waver.

From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026

His criticism of his sister never went beyond good-natured ribbing, however; Chris and Carine were uncommonly close.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer